Balance
by WiseGirl9859
Summary: "In the beginning there was only Chaos. From this Chaos, five spirits were born: Light, Dark, Courage, Wisdom and Power. We, of Zhang descent, have a duty to these spirits." Aisling Zhang learns of this duty on the 5th year of her fathers death. When the Balancing ritual goes awry she's sent to another world. Aisling must save this world blanketed by Twilight to save her own.
1. The Box

**A/N: Hey guys, WiseGirl9859 here! This fic has been sitting in my laptop for about a month or so because I was too nervous to post it, but I've finally decided to. I'd appreciate it if I can get some feedback on my writing (constructive criticism welcome) so I can be a better writer. I hope ye enjoy the story anyways!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. Only my OC's and well.. this story. Though I can dream!**

* * *

Bzzt _bzzt bzzt_

Aisling Zhang awoke to a familiar sound.

 _Bzzt bzzt bzzt_

 _Bzzt bzzt bzzt_

With a groan, she made a wild grab for her phone sitting on the bed-side table, and turned the _ever_ so irritating alarm off.

"8am. Always too early to start the day," she muttered. The innocent grumbling lasted only a moment, as reality came crashing down.

"5 years," murmured Aisling, her eyes widening.

She blinked in surprise at calmness of her tone. It was a tone that had her often worried, as it sounded detached...

' _No,'_ she thought. _'Not detached, it's resignation.'_

Today was not a regular day for Aisling. Today was her least favourite day of the year; a painful reminder. Today marked the fifth year since her fathers death. Today was the day when she would finally open The Box. It was a day of many things. Many of which she was familiar with.

It would start with a somber walk to her Mum's room. She would find her mother already sitting at the edge of the bed, head in her hands, her body racked with sobs. One would think that Aisling would sitting on that bed too, sobbing with grief, but she went numb an age ago. She no longer allowed herself to feel the pain.

Then ensued the comforting. A face streaked with tears resting on her shoulder. Hugs.

Afterwards; the grave.

The grave brought the memories back. Her fathers cheerful smile, that mischievous glint in his eye when he decided to annoy Mum, his patience when teaching her the arts of Tai Chi and Karate.  
It broke the wall of numbness she built; made it feel like it was only yesterday. Each year, she spent the majority of the day with her body on auto-pilot, her mind elsewhere, but... the grave _always_ brought it back.

* * *

Aisling sat in silence as the navy Ford Focus pulled up outside Glasnevin Cemetery. A brief, solemn look was shared with her mother as she stepped out of the car into the brisk Autumn breeze.

It was a cemetery of old and new. The worn Celtic crosses were a stark contrast to the newer, beautifully carved marble and granite headstones that dotted the cemetery was steeped in history. It was home to the grave Michael Collins himself, and various other prominent figures in Irish history.

But only one grave mattered to Aisling. And now, she knelt before it; head bowed, and eyes shut in an attempt to hold back the waves of tears that threatened to overwhelm her.

 _'Stupid memories,'_ she thought bitterly.

It was a simple parabola headstone cut from black granite. Etched on it was "Here lies Wei Zhang. 15 June 1973- 21 September 2010. May he rest in peace."  
From looking at this simple grave you wouldn't know that once, this man had a loving wife and daughter. That he was a Garda. A Garda killed on the job, no less.  
This certain fact that haunted Aisling's every step. She got pitiful looks every time she was in any measure of proximity to one of the Gardaí. Even after five years.

An epitaph was carved underneath, in a smaller font.  
"Have the Courage to seek the Wisdom that will grant you Power" it read.

It was a strange epitaph. One that had confused Aisling for the past few years. When she asked her mother about it, she had simply shrugged and said "I cannot give you the answers. You have to open your fathers box, Aisling."

The Box. The _dreaded_ Box. It had haunted her since her fathers death. It was antique, her father had told her. Dating back to the third century B.C. , it held the Zhang family secrets. ' _But what secrets',_ Aisling had always wondered. A small part of her had always wanted to open The Box, but the majority screamed no, as it was the last thing her father would ever give to her. The last random piece of knowledge about her heritage, or lecture about keeping her chi in balance. Afterwards... he'd truly be gone. But she now knew... that it was time.

"Aisling," said her Mums voice, breaking Aisling out of her reverie. "I know that you've been putting it off since your Dad ... passed away, but.. it would be in your best interest to open your fathers box. That box was one of his most important possessions, it contains a great deal of his families history, and he would want the knowledge to be passed on to you."

Aisling looked up at her Mum with surprise. Normally not much conversation would take place on the anniversary. Mother and daughter were too alike, in both appearance and mannerisms, and preferred not to talk about thoughts and feelings. Their presence comforted each other. Nothing more was needed.

"I know, Mum," she sighed, "I know." She pulled out a lone tulip out of her pocket and placed it in front of the grave. "Let's go home. I'll open it then."

* * *

There was a surprisingly comfortable silence between the two as the crossed the threshold. Aisling bid her Mum a quick "See ya", and ran upstairs to her room.

Cream walls plastered with posters of her favourite games and movies greeted her as she burst through the door. Anxious excitement had replaced the original reluctance and fear on the journey home. Even the crushing sorrow she had felt earlier had been replaced by curiosity.

She almost dove under the single-bed in her haste. She fumbled along with her fingers, until she felt them connect with something hard and wooden. She immediately dragged it out, and sat on her bed, with the box in her lap. It was a simple wooden box, no bigger than a shoe box, with a red lacquer finish and a golden latch. It had 陰 and 楊 engraved on the lid.

 _'Yin and Yang..._ ' Aisling wondered. ' _Why Yin and Yang? Is this why Dad always preached about 'balancing our chi' and the importance of Tai Chi_ _?'_

She sat there, staring at The Box, lost in her thoughts for a few minutes.

She wondered about the lessons her father had thought her when she was a child. About 氣; chi. About Yin and Yang. It was his philosophy. He never shut up about it, in fact. He had her practising Tai Chi and Shotokan Karate from almost the moment she could walk. Did it all fit with the knowledge in the box?

With tentative fingers she lifted the latch open. A letter addressed to her in her fathers scrawl sat atop a few hand-scrolls. And a bamboo flute? No, a _dizi_ was among the papers too. She opened the letter first.

 _To my dearest daughter Aisling,_

 _I left this letter in case something happened to me before I could explain your duty to the world. If you are reading this... I am sorry for not being there for you to explain it to you; to witness you grow up. But never forget that I love you.  
_ _Though I think you'll be glad to know that I didn't prattle on about Chi for nothing._

 _In the beginning there was only Chaos. From this Chaos, five spirits were born: Light, Dark, Courage, Wisdom and Power. Together, they maintain balance in the universe._

 _Yin and Yang reside in our world, Aisling. I do not know the name of the other spirits for they reside elsewhere, in another world. There is a strange connection between our worlds.. I have never been able to make sense of it other than the events regarding spirits in our world, affect their world, and vice-versa. Our ancestors have wrote texts about this world, but they were destroyed long ago by a Emperor who deemed us heretics. This event began our migration west. I ..don't know if I ever told you that._

 _We, of Zhang decent, have a duty to these spirits._

 _A long time ago, when demons ravaged the Earth, our ancestor, Korra Zhang, aided Yin and Yang in their imprisonment of said demons. These demons represented man's greatest sins; their deadliest sins. The demons tainted people, tainted their energy. These demons posses great power, Aisling._

 _Korra crafted the Diji of Balance with the help of the spirits, and performed the first balancing ritual. It freed people from the corruption; balanced their chi. The demons no longer had control, and were imprisoned._

 _This ritual has been passed down through the ages, and every five years, on the Autumn equinox, the eldest child of the newest generation performs this ritual to balance the worlds chi, and therefore keep the demons imprisoned._ _The ritual comes at a price, however. A portion of our chi is absorbed by the spirits to complete the ritual, Aisling. We lose a year of our life each time we perform the ritual. It is but a small price to pay to bring peace to the world. Though do not be afraid, you have nothing to fear._

 _If the cycle is broken, the demons prisons will could break free. This cannot be allowed to happen._

 _The scrolls detailing the ritual are contained within this box, along with the Diji of Balance. Every tenth equinox it must be performed. Remember that Aisling. The ritual was last completed on the 22nd of September 2005._

 _I wish you well, Aisling. I love you._

 _Dad._

 _P.S. An equinox is halfway between the solstices. Your mum has a vague idea about our duty, she knows that we have a duty to the world, to the spirits, despite the fact she never believed in any form of higher power. Though she never understood what I was 'raving about' as she likes to say._

Aisling felt a weight lift off her shoulders after finishing the letter. She felt like a snake shedding it's skin. She only know realized how much of a burden the 'ominous' Box was on her. Though this 'ritual' didn't sit easy with her. It was a lot to be unloaded on her in one letter. Those previous two sentences were a **_huge_** understatement. Aisling was freaking out on the inside. This made no sense to her whatsoever. But she figured that Dad thought she'd never have to read it on her own, that he would be there to explain it in person; to guide her.

She chucked humourlessly, _'How things have changed'._

She moved on to the hand-scrolls next; handling the ancient vellum with great care. Rows upon rows of immaculate Chinese scripture made Aisling squint. She could only make out a few of the hanzi. Yin and Yang stood out among the rest. As did Chi, and various other symbols that were related to balancing your energy. She only understood these few hanzi because of her dad's insistence that she would learn some basic Chinese. Though it never made sense as she only knew 'traditional' Chinese, which wasn't of any use until now.

After several minutes of meticulous searching through the scrolls to see what she could translate, she found English translations at the bottom of the box.

She face-palmed. _'Of course Dad would put them at the bottom. Probably got a good laugh, knowing I'd try and translate the scrolls first.'_

 _S_ everal phrases stood out on the page. _"Seven demons..._ _Zìháo, Xiànmù, Fènnù, Tānxīn, Shù lǎn, Qíngyù, Bàoshí: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Lust, Gluttony... Yin's Dusk... Yang's Dawn."_

 _"_ The Seven Deadly Sins!" she spluttered. Her mind went into overdrive. It was an occurrence that occurred every so often to Aisling. It was from over thinking, the doctors said; too much simultaneous processes in the brain. A sharp pain developed rapidly in her head. Her frontal lobes, she could only assume. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the sound of blood rushing to her head. Her vision began to blur. A strangled cry escaped from her mouth. Approaching footsteps boomed like gunshots. A person, her Mum, spoke words, but Aisling only heard noise.  
She tried to employ the calming measures she had been taught: clear the mind; take deep breaths. Time passed by. The world slowly came back into focus, and her erratic breathing calmed.

"Aisling. Aisling!" Mum was chanting, panic evident in her voice.

Aisling turned her focus to her Mum. "What is _this_?" she demanded. Pointing at the scrolls. "This ritual... a year of my life... _demons... **The Seven Deadly Sins**_?" she rambled, her voice rising an octave with each word.

"You found out about the spirits?" she asked. Aisling nodded. "Your Dad raved about them all the time, I never truly understood what it is you Zhang's have to do, but do not doubt what you learnt. I cannot help you with this Aisling, only support you."

"I don-" Aisling started.

Mum swiftly cut across her. "I... was doubtful of your father for a while. But then he performed the ... ritual, and I never doubted him again. I cannot explain it in words... other than I felt at peace." she smiled. "Never understood it though," she chuckled softly.

Aisling's brows furrowed. "I don't understand this, Mum. It's all real?"

An earnest nod was her answer.

"But..." Aisling began. "If it's every five years doesn't that mean the ritual wasn't completed in 2010?"

Mum's eyes widened. "Oh no," she murmured. Fear was evident by her expression, but she quickly recomposed herself. "It will be fine, Aisling. Don't worry about it. Complete the ritual on the equinox, which is in two days by the way, and everything will be fine."

Aisling only felt slightly reassured. She had irrational this sense of foreboding... it did not sit well with her. In fact, it hounded her for the next two days.

* * *

"Are you ready, Aisling?" asked Mum.

"I don't think you can be ready for this kind of thing, Mum," she tittered.

To say that Aisling was nervous, was so big an understatement that the author should be arrested. She fretted over everything for the past to days. _Everything._ Mum had said that she'd drive a Nun up the wall with her constant worrying. Paranoia kept her up all night and left her with dark shadows under her eyes. To say the least; she was not at her best.

She checked the clock anxiously. _11:30,_ it read. She double-checked, and then triple-checked all the preparations.

Her usually cosy sitting-room had all the furniture pushed up against the wall, leaving a large space in the middle. The Diji of Balance and translations of the scrolls lay on the wooden floor, waiting to be used. Aisling sat in the center of the rooms, legs crossed, eyes pouring over the music scores before her. 'Yin's Dusk' and 'Yang's Dawn'. They had to be performed perfectly for the ritual to go off without a hitch. Hence why Aisling felt more wound up than a person on crack.

' _An adequate comparison,'_ she laughed internally.

Her father had insisted that she learnt how to play a dizi at a young age. "You must learn of your heritage" he used to say. She could only assume that his intention was that she learn all these things for the sole purpose of completing the ritual. She sighed. It felt like her whole life boiled down to this moment. _'It probably did,'_ she mused.

Without Aisling noticing, her Mum left the room to give her daughter some time to think.

Aisling didn't know what scared her the most: the fact that while this was surreal to her, it was real; or that this ritual would absorb a year of her life. It was constantly at the back of her mind, eating away at her. The demons on the other hand, could kiss her arse because she refused to worry about them. The concept of them was so terrifying she didn't want to believe in their existence. It would destroy her.

Time passed as Aisling reflected on her new found duty and knowledge. Eventually the reminder set on her phone went off, informing her it was 11:58, and ended her pondering.

She sat in anticipation, the Diji of Balance being fidgeted with by nervous hands.

 _11:58:47_

 _11:59:00_

 _11:59:11_

 _11:59: 23_

Time trickled by...

 _11:59: 30_

 _11:59: 42_

 _11:59:51_

 **12:00**

It felt like an internal alarm clock went off, informing her that it was time to begin. So she raised the diji to her lips and began to play.

Yin's Dusk was first. It was a somber song; a dark one. The notes pierced the quiet air, singing a song of despair and hatred.

A turmoil of emotions arose in her. She had never felt so horrible in her life. Atop the turmoil, she felt as if her life force was being drained from her. It made her feel weak deep in her bones. A terrible exhaustion.

If Aisling paid attention to herself, and not the music scores, she would've noticed the faint grey aura that surrounded her. And that ,said aura, was growing lighter with each note escaping the diji. The dark that was being absorbed from the aura hovered in the air in the form of a pulsing orb; growing with each passing second.

Yin's Dusk abruptly gave way to Yang's Dawn. Joyous replaced somber notes, feelings of content replaced the more sinister ones. The draining sensation did not disappear, however. Aisling felt weaker and weaker as the song continued. Her now white aura was fading, and a orb of pulsing white was growing beside the black orb.

The song, quite literally, finished with a bang.

There was a flash of blinding light, so bright Aisling had to shield her eyes in fear of going blind. The light seeped out through all the windows in the house. For months, people would wonder what happened in the Zhang household, what the light meant.

Aisling waited several seconds, maybe a minute, and drew back her hand. The light had subsided, and in it's place were two figures clothed in regal robes of black and white.

"Y-Yin and Yang?" she stammered. She inwardly cursed herself for appearing so weak in front of the spirits, but the ritual had left her drained.

"Be at ease, child," the one in white, who she could only assume was Yang, spoke. His masculine voice was a deep baritone that set her nerves at ease. "You have successfully completed the ritual, but for all your effort, it is too late."  
Yin stepped forward. "The demons prisons weakened, and broke due to your failure to complete the last ritual. They are hunting you as we speak."  
Aisling felt panic swell in her chest at Yin's words.

"B-b-but I-I- I didn't mean to.." she stammered.

"Do not take my truths as disdain, child," Yin said. "We do not have much time, but there is much to explain."

"Even with this balanced energy, we do not have the power to imprison the demons. There is a power that you must seek, but it is not of this world. It lies in another, along with our kin."

"Your family have served us for over three millenia, and like your ancestor Korra before you, you must aid this other world that is in jeopardy. Both worlds must be in balance, or the human and Hylian race shall perish." they said in union.

 _'Hylians? Are they not from some game?'_

The sitting-room door was slammed open and her mother stormed in. " **YOU!** " she screamed, pointing a finger at the spirits, "You **_spirits_** , you cannot take away my baby! Wei never mentioned anything about this!"

Aisling frayed nerves caused her to jump at the intrusion.

"Your child has a special destiny, Aoife Bourke. You must not interfere, or the consequences will be great," Yin stated.

" _Mum_ , I- I'll be fine. I have to do this," Aisling said with grim determination. She stepped up to the spirits. "Send me to this other world then. I must put things right."

"Aisling!" Mum cried, "Y-you don't have to do this!" She fell to her knees and sobbed. "I love you Aisling..."

Aisling had only felt this torn when her dad had died. The majority of her screamed that she must go for the good of the world, and to repent for her carelessness. But there was a part, this _tiny_ part, that told her to stay. To stay with her Mum. Her sense of morality won.

" I have to go. There's no other way," she told herself more than the occupants of the room. Aisling glanced over her shoulder at her weeping mother. "I love you too, Mum," she smiled sadly.

"You must go now," Yang stressed. "They approach."

The spirits raised their arms skywards and muttered an incantation that Aisling couldn't make sense of. The world started to warp as a small vortex opened in the wall in front of her. A swift wind picked up in the room as it expanded. Aisling stared at he portal incredulously. This chaotic swirl of colours promised her transport to _another world._ It was no bigger than her torso, but was growing at a rapid pace.

A sinister roar and crash reached Aisling's ears. She swerved around just in time to watch a monstrous creature break through the door of the sitting-room as if it were paper and swat her Mum away. Her Mum hit the wall with a sickening crack.

" ** _Mum_** ** _!_** " she screamed. The enormous creature turned its attention to Aisling. Its blood red glared at her, which was a distracting contrast to its purple, plated skin. Three sharp claws were in place of fingers. Four horns protruded from its head, reaching towards the back of its head.  
Its thick muscles rippled under its veiny skin as it approached Aisling. It was a being of tremendous power and size. "I am Fènnù, demon of Wrath," it bellowed, "And I _will_ kill you Zhang!"

It charged.

For Aisling, time slowed. It seemed almost in slow motion as the demon bounded towards her, claws reaching for her face. There was no divine intervention as the demon swiped it's powerful claws and sent her flying into the vortex unconscious. The demon tried to follow, but the vortex closed with a loud _pop_. It roared in frustration.

* * *

 **A/N: I first, and foremost, apologize for my shitty grammar. When I think about it, Irish schools are _shite_ because they never teach you how to correctly use semi colons and colons. My blood, sweat and tears wrote that chapter. I wish I could put the font in red just to stress that fact :D I'll do my best with updates, though by my BFF ,Writer's Block, always distracts me. I'd really appreciate reviews so I can see how this story is being received. If you have any questions, ideas, or anything, please don't be afraid to say it!**

 **Notes:**

 **Diji= Chinese bamboo flute. It's an amazing instrument that creates beautiful music.**

 **Garda/Gardaí= Irish guards.**


	2. The Hunt

**A/N: New chapter, my friends! I had hoped to get it out earlier... but life interfered. It's once again +3500 words, so I hope ye enjoy it!**

 **Thank you both Yumi99 and Koal for reviewing my story! I really appreciate it. And for the follow and favourite, of course (thanks again Yumi.) Check out Yumi's story 'Legends upon Legends'- it's awesome!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda in any shape or form. *sobs***

* * *

There were shrieks of delight and the tearing of flesh as the Bokoblins of Faron Woods enjoyed their meal. It was a rare occasion when they got humans in their woods, and when they did, they were often wielding sharpened metal that cut flesh and sinew alike. But this traveller had been unarmed and alone, and that's when the Bokoblins pounced. Now he filled their bellies as they camped outside the forest temple.

Their peaceful, but gory dinner, was interrupted by a blinding white light at the mouth of the temple. The light was so bright the Bokoblins abandoned their meal, and bolted from the temple, shrieking as if their lives depended upon it.  
A figure, humanoid in shape , emerged from the light, and slumped on the ground.

After the light had subsided, the leader of the tribe, and also the bravest, approached the temple once again. He advanced towards the figure sprawled on the ground with caution. His wooden sword was used to carefully prod the creature, but it did not stir. Closer inspection revealed it was another one of those tasty humans. It was a strange one however, with long pointed ears poking out of raven hair.  
He cackled with glee and scampered off to inform the rest of his tribe of the good news.

* * *

The world came back to Aisling slowly.

The first thing she felt was pain. Excruciating pain radiating from the left side of her face. It felt sticky and there was a liquid trickling down her cheek; blood. The rest of her was but a dull throb that paled in comparison.

Sound was next. Her ears picked up strange noises in the vicinity. Shrieks and garbles were emitted at a rapid pace, like some form of communication.

And finally; sight. Her eyes flickered open for a millisecond, but were immediately closed due to the searing pain in her left eye. Lesson learnt, only her right eye opened this time and took in her surroundings.  
She was in a forested area that she did not recognize. A tree of impossible size towered over her. The sky was pitch-black and a multitude of stars twinkled like diamonds.

Where was she? How did she get hurt? Her brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to remember. She was.. she was.. travelling to another world? And she was attacked.. by a .. a _demon_?

Her eyes shot open. "Mum!"

She bolted up into a sitting position. A grunt escaped her lips at the movement, and her bad eye burned. But she didn't care... Mum was gone. And it was _all_ _her fault_. _She_ avoided the Box for years. _She_ was the one the demons were looking for. Mum didn't deserve.. to die.

Hot tears streamed down her face as she sobbed in the gloomy forest. Her head found comfort in her hands.  
The world outside faded as grief consumed her. She was drowning in her sorrow.

The approaching footsteps didn't reach her ears. Nor did the whistle of air as a blunt object connected with her skull.

There was only darkness.

* * *

Rough bark scrapped the back of her skull. Her legs were levitated in the air by _something,_ \- _someone._ She felt herself descend gradually. The bark gave way to damp grass. Gargles in a strange tongue reached her ears. And her head _throbbed_ with each heart beat.

What happened?  
She was being moved?

This unwelcome piece of information had her ready and alert in a mere second. She lashed out with her legs, kicking whoever was dragging her. A howl of pain was welcome to her ears; she had hit her target. In one fluid movement, she pushed herself off the ground and dropped into a basic combat stance; low center of gravity, arms at the ready. A groan escaped her lips as her body screamed at the movements. The world warped and spun at the sudden change in elevation. She felt dizzy and her eyes were finding it difficult to focus. Though the pain and vertigo faded almost immediately as adrenaline pumped through her system.

Her opponents were unlike anything she had ever seen. Wielding crude wooden swords, two purple skinned creatures with pointy ears, and silver dreadlocks pulled back into a ponytail, glared at her. A pair of baggy brown pants was all that they wore, exposing their pot-bellies to the elements. Her eyes focused on the nauseating bounce of their bellies as they shifted from foot to foot.

Their sudden war cry snapped Aisling out of her trance.

Knowing she was in no state for combat, Aisling ran past the strange goblin-like creatures, narrowly avoiding their wooden swords. Their shrieks alerted more of their kind, and soon Aisling had ten of them after her. She ran past a bird selling potions, which in a different situation she would've pondered about for hours. Barely paying attention to her surroundings, she ended up in a narrow tunnel, the angry shrieks of the goblin creatures not far behind. She could see light at the end of tunnel. Her escape was drawing nearer and nearer with each bound.

That was until she saw the gate. She pulled herself to a stop in front of it. Her hope extinguished in that second. The pounding on feet on rock grew louder as her pursuers drew nearer. She heard their whoops of delight when they found her in their crosshairs.

Then it hit her. There was a slight gap between the gate and the cave mouth that she could wriggle through. She swiftly scaled the gate and went head first into the narrow gap. Perhaps the spirits were looking out for her that night, because she didn't get stuck.

Aisling flopped onto the grass outside the tunnel to be greeted with a depressing sight. Two _more_ goblin creatures were staring at her, a hungry gleam in their eyes.

Aisling shakily got to her feet and sprinted into the forest, their predatory cries not far behind.

* * *

All manners of creatures were chasing her now. Those goblins, rats, bats- you name it, were after her, calling for her blood. The towering trees and boulders all looked the same to Aisling, she felt as though she was running in circles. She had to get out soon. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the exhaustion and pain was seeping back in. She was tiring quickly, and the shrieks weren't going away.

The trees gradually became sparser and Aisling found herself at the mouth of another tunnel. Without hesitation, she plunged into the darkness.

She stumbled along blindly, feeling the walls to know which way to go. The shrieks of bats and mice echoed in the darkness, but she just ignored them as there was nothing she could do. Hopefully they would leave her alone. A sudden fork in the path made her pause. _'Left or straight. Left or straight.'_ she fretted.

Eeny-meeny-miny-moe decided that straight was the correct path. Aisling mentally applauded her ingenuity .

She didn't like this path at all. Strange snarls that belonged to creatures she couldn't fathom were her constant companion as she traversed the tunnel. She even managed to get stuck in a cobweb. She shuddered at the thought of the spider big enough to make it.

Soon, she could see the exit. Hope filled her with a new burst of energy, and she took off sprinting towards the light.

* * *

"Oh for fuck sake!" she yelled. Just outside the tunnel there was another gate. Gates were quickly climbing the list of her least favourite things.  
The tips were sharpened so climbing it would be a risky venture. Her choices were between getting captured or possibly getting impaled on the gate. So she chose the most logical option; the gate.

She ran up to the gate and began the short climb to the top. The strange snarls that she had heard in the tunnel were picked up by her ears once more. She climbed faster. She was almost at the top when dozens of dagger-like objects sank into her thigh and dragged her to the ground.

She screamed a bloodcurdling scream that had the birds taking off from trees like bullets.

She was being dragged towards the tunnel by her attacker.

The world slowed down to the painfully loud thumping of her heart.

 _Thump thump_

Inch by inch she was dragged, despite her kicking and screaming.

 _Thump thump_

Survival instincts kicked in, and she twisted onto her back to get a glimpse at her attacker.

For about the tenth time that night she wondered what was wrong with this place. The creature was similar to a venus fly trap, though it was much larger and purple in colour, and it's more spherical head was latched onto her leg, tugging her towards where the narrow, green stalk connected with the ground.

 _Thump thump_

She searched for some form of weapon.

 _Thump thump_

A stick! There was a pointed stick about a foot to her left.

 _Thump thump_

She planted her heels into the ground, bringing the carnivorous plant and human to a hault.

The Deku Baba snarled at it's preys attempt to escape, and dug it's daggers deeper into the fleshy limb, causing another agonized scream to be emitted into the night.

 _Thump thump_

Pain. Aisling's whole world was _pain._ The god-damn plant bit her even harder by the second, it's teeth sinking deeper into her flesh, and it tinted the world red. She reached out desperately for the stick, fingers only millimeters away. The world was dimming, her body unable to cope with the trauma. As a last bid she lunged for the stick.

Her fingers connected.

 _Thump thump_

With the stick in hand, Aisling surged up and pierced the thin stalk with her make-shift weapon.

The plant released it's grip on Aisling, hissing and snarling in agony as Aisling repeatedly stabbing the stalk. It's life blood rushed from the multiple puncture wounds, and with a final snarl it collapsed on the ground.

 _Thump thump_

It was dead.

Aisling mind was still in shock, and refused to acknowledge that it was over. The stick was used to stab the dead plant in a frenzy.

* * *

The Bokoblins had narrowed their searched. The forest had been combed for the pointy eared human until only one option remained; the tunnel towards the spring.  
With torches and weapons in hand, they trampled through the passage, revelling in the ecstasy of the hunt.

They found their prey at the mouth of the underpass, stabbing the corpse of a Deku Baba mercilessly.

A twig was snapped underfoot, and the prey's eyes snapped up, alert and feral. It staggered to its feet, leaning heavily on one leg, and had the bloodied stick in hand. It spoke in its peculiar tongue, an obvious warning, but the chief ignored it.

With a rallying cry he raised his weapon skywards and charged at the injured human. It parried his first strike -swiftly for one so injured- and countered, leaving a slit on his arm. He roared in pain. With a short bark he commanded his kin to surround the elusive prey. Its eyes darted back and forth, realizing there was no escape. Two of his tribe grabbed the human from behind, twisting it's arms and holding them back, rendering it defenceless. It kicked and screamed, but it could not escape. With mocking cackle, he strolled up to the captured prey. He slammed the hilt of his sword on its head.

It was knocked unconscious.

With the sun rising in the horizon, the Bokoblins of Faron Woods began the hours march back to the temple, prey in hand.

* * *

 **8 hours later...**

"C'MERE YOU"

"Talo! Wait!" Link cried as the three kids sped after the monkey.

They didn't listen, however, and continued their pursuit. Link groaned in frustration. If anything happened to the kids the blame would land squarely on his shoulders. Why didn't they ever listen?

He ran over to Epona and swiftly mounted her, galloping into after the children.

* * *

Beth was the first he encountered. She had not gone far, and was just before the Ordon Springs.

"Where are they, Beth?" he demanded. She seemed shocked at his anger.

"Uh.. H- hi Link," she stuttered. "They went chasing like crazy people after that monkey. They were heading towards Faron Woods."

"I can't keep up with those two..." she mumbled as an afterthought.

"Just.. go back to the village," he sighed, and continued his hunt.

* * *

Malo was found almost immediately after Beth at the entrance to Ordon Springs.

"They went that way," he pointed before Link had a chance to speak. "The rest is up to you, Link."

Link blinked at the kids shortness. Malo had always been like that- straight to the point and took no nonsense. There was more than meets the eye with the three foot boy. He bid Malo a quick goodbye and crossed the bridge to the Faron province.

* * *

Neither Talo or the monkey were at the Faron Springs. It was eerily quiet, like the calm before a storm. Not a sound was emitted by the usually chirpy birds and denizens of the forest. It caused the hairs on the back of Links neck to rise. He shivered.

He continued past the springs to where the entrance to the deep forest lay.  
The gate was unlocked! Link swore aloud. Talo must have entered the forest. All manners of creatures dwelled there, and almost _all_ were not friendly. "I hope he's okay," he murmured.

He'd have to ask the lantern man. Rusl had once spoke of a man who lived on the way to Hyrule Field, close to Faron Woods, who sold lanterns to passerby. Link headed West, rather than North and arrived at a shack within the minute. He dismounted Epona and approached a man lounging on a stump. For a reason Link could not fathom, there were birds nesting in the man's enormous auburn afro.

"Whoa!An Ordinian! Hey, guy!" the lantern man exclaimed. "Listen, I'm not sure you should be wandering around the woods without a lantern. Just because it's daylight doesn't mean it's safe."

" Uh.. okay. "

"Here! Go on, guy. Take this!" the lantern man said. He took out a lantern from behind his stump and placed it in Link's hands. "See, I sell lantern oil here... I'm trying to drum up sales by giving away free lanterns! It's a business tactic, guy! If you run out of oil, you come see me to get it refilled."

Link thanked the strange man and turned to leave, but a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Hey,guy! If you're going into the Deep Forest... please be careful," the lantern guy added morosely. "The Bokoblins... They were out last night. I- I think they got someone."

Link's eyes widened at the news. Not many people ventured into the Deep Woods, and if they were foolish enough to try, they normally ended up in the bellies of the impish Bokoblins. It was a gruesome fate.

He nodded his affirmation, and set of towards the Faron Woods. He left Epona at the gate- she almost bucked him when he tried to ride across it.  
The corpse of a Deku Baba lay at the other side of the gate, it's narrow stalk ripped to shreds.

' _Surely Talo hadn't managed to do that?'_  
He moved past the anomaly, and entered the dark of the tunnel.

A wooden play sword was discarded on the ground about ten meters into the gloom. It was Talo's! With new found determination and worry, Link quickened his pace.

* * *

As Link traversed the channel filled with bats, rats and other creatures, he thanked his lucky stars for the invaluable lantern in his possession. It's amber glow penetrated the darkness and repelled the majority of the monsters.

He soon emerged into woods, safe and unharmed. He had been here as a child, before the monsters had made the woods their home. He had missed it's towering treetops. He knew the troublesome monkeys were residents of the great tree that lay within the Deep Woods, so he headed eastwards.

To his dismay, the way to the Deep Woods was blocked by a locked gate. After slaying the Bokoblins guarding it, he set off to find the key.

Many a creature fell to his sword in his search of the key. He found it in a cave in the north-west section of the forest.

Retracing his steps back, he found himself at the gate once more and entered the Deep Woods.

* * *

He found himself in a battle with the Bokoblins once again. They provided little challenge, however, and he dispatched them swiftly.

"Woo! Hey! Woo! You're super!" cawed a voice behind the stall to Link's right.

Link approached the quaint stall with curiosity. A blue bird with green and yellow wings, and a comical hairstyle similar to the lantern man, perched on a branch within the stall.

"Now just buy something! Hey!" it squawked.

Link filled up his bottle with a red potion for twenty rupees. One could never be too safe in these woods.

He approached the great tree cautiously. The shrieks and gurgles of the creatures were heard over the crackling of a fire. A dozen Bokoblins were feasting, unaware of Link's presence. He saw a cage in the middle of the camp; containing the monkey from earlier, Talo, and another person he could not identify.

The first Bokoblin fell before it could cry out. Link's luck was against him in this moment, as the thump of the body hitting the ground altered it's brethren. Link flinched at the hateful shrieks that followed.

He shrugged it off and leaped into battle, sword swinging and slicing his foes to pieces. He dodged and blocked and counter-attacked, and before he knew it; there was a sudden silence.

The battle was over.

He ran over to the cage and used his sword to break it apart. Talo emerged from the cage and hugged Link fiercely.

"Thank you Link!" he cried. "They were going to eat us for sure! You need to help the girl in the cage too! She's really hurt!"  
Talo suddenly stiffened and released Link. "Sorry about that Link... P-Please don't tell anyone I cried."

"You have my word, Talo," Link smiled. The boy returned an even bigger smile.

The other person in the cage caught Link's attention, he strolled past Talo, barely listening to what he was saying.

"She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey... She tried to protect me, so we got captured together," Talo admitted, unaware the Link's attention was elsewhere. He looked around for his new friend but was disappointed to find she had already gone. "I-I.. Thanks again, Link."

Link wasn't listening. He was examining the stranger. He rolled the person onto their back. He gasped.

The stranger turned out to be a girl around his age. She was in bad shape. Her unusual clothes were filthy and torn. Her left thigh was a mess of blood and had multiple puncture wounds that had blood dribbling out of them. Her face was in no better condition. Three parallel gashes ran down her left eye; from her eyebrow to underneath her eye socket. They looked slightly older than her leg wound, and were not bleeding. Her skin looked ashen; she must have lost a lot of blood. A feature that was enhanced by her wavy, raven hair. He could see pointed tips poking out of her hair. "She's Hylian?!" he exclaimed.

He hooked his arm under the girl's neck and knees and hoisted her up. "Talo, let's go!" he barked. "We have to get her back to the mayor!"

* * *

Link emerged from Faron Woods sweating and panting. The girl was surprisingly light, but it was draining to run with her in his arms.  
Talo quickly begged Link not to tell his father about the woods and scampered off to the village.

"Link!" cried out a voice to the right.

Rusl emerged from the path to the lantern man's house and walked over.

"My son told me Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned. I came as soon as I could... But it looks like you have brought him home al-."

"Rusl," he interrupted. "We need to get this girl back to the mayor. I.. found her in the Bokoblin camp."

Rusl eye's moved down the person in his arms. "I-I didn't even notice her! We must make haste! She looks badly injured."

* * *

"Mayer Bo! Mayer Bo!" Rusl and Link bellowed.

The burly man burst out of his house at the sudden commotion. Bushy brows shot up at the sight of a bloodied girl in Link's arms. "What happened? Who is she?" he asked.  
Link only shrugged in response.

The mayor took the girl out of Link's arms and began walking back to his house. "Link. Rusl. I'll take it from here. You both go back to your houses and come see me in the morning." "Ilia," he shouted as he re-entered his home.

The two stood outside for a moment, frozen at the Mayors bluntness. They had hoped for information on the girl. Though it seemed it would have to wait.

"I hope she'll be be alright," Link murmured. "Don't worry Link," Rusl reassured, patting him on the back. "She's in good hands. Bo will take care of her. Now get a good nights rest. Your journey begins tomorrow." And with that, Rusl left.

Rusl's kind words failed to lift Link's spirits. He had the strangest sense of foreboding. The monsters in the woods, the strange girl- it did not sit well with him. He sighed at this absurd feeling, and made his way to the tree house for the night.

* * *

 **A/N: ANNNNNND CUT! That's a wrap folks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions, ideas, or anyway I can improve my writing- don't hesitate to tell me. I'll do whatever I can to fulfil my readers wishes.**

 **Please review! (*whispers fiercely* " _They are my lifeline."_ )**


	3. The Dream

**WiseGirl9859 here again! Sorry about the long wait. I was finding it difficult to write this chapter. This chapter focuses more on the characters.. there's a fair bit of dialogue.  
A big thanks to Keep Calm and Be Ninja, I was able to fix up my grammar because of you (at least I hope so) and I updated the prior two chapters.  
A massive thanks to AMaeJay, Yumi99, Keep Calm and Be Ninja and Koal for reviewing, and Spricket, Bowser Jr's Descendant and AMaeJay for following. The feedback and follows mean so much to me.  
Koal asked about potions. I was planning on making it.. more realistic. The red potion will speed up the healing of your wounds, and acts as a disinfectant and what-not. I hope that's enough information for now. There's also various salves that they've got, but I haven't planned out those details too much yet.**

 **I forgot the disclaimer last chapter :D Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with the Legend of Zelda... yet.  
Enjoy!**

* * *

Sleep didn't come easily to Link that night. He tossed and turned; unable to get the girl out of his mind. Her looks, her clothes (they were really bizarre)- everything about her was.. _different_ , and he had to find out why. These relentless thoughts continued for what seemed like hours. Only to stop when the warm embrace of sleep took over.

 _Link found himself in a strange place. It was impossibly perfect; the courtyard was immaculate, it's marble pillars polished to perfection and the flora were faultless, lined up around the courtyards edge. Even, cobbled stone made up the floor, surrounding the mound of grass in the center. He had no clue where he was._

 _The tapping of shoes on stone caught his attention. The girl from the woods was approaching him. Her clothes were no longer torn, and her body devoid of any injuries._

 _"Where are we?" she demanded. Her stormy eyes narrowed. "And who are_ _ **you**_ _?" she said, emphasizing each word more than the last._

 _He raised an eyebrow at her hostility. For some irrational reason this girl really irritated him. "My name is Link, and I have no idea where we are," he replied shortly. A slight 'hmph' was emitted by the girl. "Aisling. My name is Aisling," she grudgingly replied. Link sighed. This 'Aisling' was a handful.  
They stood there in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to say or do, giving Link time to perform an appraisal.  
The girl was slim and toned from what he could tell, and short too. Her skin was a few shades darker than his. Her dark hair cascaded in gentle waves down to her waist. Sculpted eyebrows sat atop stormy grey eyes. Her nose was thin and pointed, her lips full and red. His eyes travelled downwards noting that while her face was a thing of beauty, she had a narrow frame and was proportioned rather boyishly._

 _"A-hem." Links eyes snapped up. Aisling looked smug with an eyebrow raised, and a smirk on her full lips. "Finished checking me out yet?"_

 _"Not that there's much to look at," he snarked._

 _Aisling glowered at him, the stormy globes darkening, and piercing through him. "Why you little-"_

 _The center of the courtyard was suddenly basked in a spectral light, and three figures emerged. Link and Aisling gaped.  
Three women robed in regal gowns of red, green and blue, approached them. There was an ethereal glow about them, it radiated power. But what startled the two the most was the women's golden skin._

 _"Heroes, we welcome you to the Sacred Realm," the one in blue spoke. Realization dawned on Link, and he went down on one knee. Aisling threw him a questioning glance, but he ignored it._

 _"That is not necessary, child," she smiled. Link got to his feet and listened earnestly to the Goddesses. "Aisling, Link, the road ahead of you is fraught with peril. It will not be easy, but you must defeat the evil that is rising in this land." Din spoke next, "Our power has been diminishing as our enemy grows stronger, but we have still have enough to bestow one gift to bestow upon you; the Triforce."_

 _"Link, step forward," Farore spoke softly. Link gulped, and stepped towards the Goddesses._

 _"What the fuck going on?!" Aisling yelled from behind. "What on earth is a triforce? Where and what is the sacred realm? And why in. the. name. of. God. do ye lot have golden skin?"_

 _"What sort of fucked up dream is this..." she muttered as an afterthought, barely loud enough for Link to hear. Link glanced nervously between Aisling and the Goddesses._

 _Their reaction was not what Link expected; they chuckled. **Chuckled**. He didn't realize Goddesses had a sense of humour. Or what was even funny about this situation. How could the girl, a Hylian no less, not know about the Triforce and the Goddesses? _

_Aisling looked furious at their reaction._

 _"We realize this must be confusing for you, Aisling. Let us introduce ourselves: We are the guardians of the realm, better known as Din, Nayru and Farore. Though your father may have called us Courage, Wisdom and Power."_

 _Aisling was surprisingly silent, her eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed. She was deep in thought. It was an unexpected change from the blunt, fiery girl Link had been conversing with. "I don't know what you want me to understand," she murmured, breaking the silence. Her eyes snapped up to the Goddesses. "I-I don't even know who I am.. only my name." Link's eyes widened at the revelation, no wonder why she was so frustrated and confused._

 _The Goddesses shared worried looks. They beckoned Aisling to come closer. Her eyes flickered to Link nervously as she passed him, and stood before the Goddesses. Nayru raised a golden hand at Aisling's forehead, and silver beam burst forth. The beam began to flicker abruptly and darkened in colour, until it was a dark as a moonless night and died out. Nayru quickly drew her hand away and whispered_ _frantically to her sisters. Aisling looked increasingly impatient with each passing second. She cleared her throat loudly._

 _Din was the first to face Aisling. "Your memories are missing by no natural cause; they have been stolen."_

 _Link and Aisling gasped_ _simultaneously. "S-stolen?" she spluttered. "How?"_

 _"By the enemy you have been destined to fight," Farore said grimly. "The only way to have your memories returned to you is to restore balance to the land by defeating the enemy of the Hero; Gannondorf."_

 _Link felt the hairs on his neck rise at the name. It invoked a strange sense of deja vu. He shook it off, however. "Then give us the means to defeat this evil," he stated boldly._

 _Nayru smiled at his words. "Only you have the means to defeat this evil. It is a force deep inside you, and must be awakened. Step forward." It was obvious to Link that while it was said in a gentle tone, it was a command. He approached the Goddesses and knelt before them.  
There was a flash of golden light, and then the soft, melodious music of a harp. He recognised the song as the Ballad of the Goddess. It was a song said to be have been played by the first Hero, eons ago.  
His left hand was basked in a golden glow, and in it's wake imprinted the mark of the triforce. The right triangle was shining brightly. "Go, bearer of Courage, the fate of this world rests on your shoulders," said Farore._

 _"Aisling Zhang, step forward." Her second name came as a revelation to both Link and Aisling. "Th-That's my surname?" A nod and a smile was the reply.  
She walked up and knelt before the Goddesses, just as Link did before her. The Ballad of the Goddess was strung once more, and Aisling's left hand was lit up with the same golden glow. The center of the triforce was glowing, and Aisling looked up, confused. "The center represents Balance, Aisling," said Nayru, answering the silent question in Aisling's mind. Link watched, even more puzzled than Aisling. He had never heard of 'Balance' before._

 _"Now go, and fulfill your destiny."_

 _"But what are we supposed to do?" Link asked._

 _Din chuckled. "Young heroes, you do not seek destiny, for destiny will always find you."_

 _And the world darkened until it faded from his mind..._

* * *

Link woke up with a jolt. The events of his dream/ vision- he didn't know what to call it- were still fresh in his mind. He snuck a look at his left hand- the mark of the triforce was still there! He had actually been in the Sacred Realm.  
He quickly threw on his clothes and bounded out the door of his door.

 _Rap rap rap_ went his knuckles on Mayer Bo's door. As he waited for someone to answer, he fretted. ' _What was this destiny the Goddesses spoke of? How was Aisling part of it?'_ So absorbed in thought, he jumped in fright when the door was opened.

"Hey,Ilia," he said sheepishly, with a faint blush on his cheeks. "Good afternoon, lazy bones," she smiled. "Should you not be helping Fado at the ranch?" Link swore. With an even more sheepish expression, he scratched the back of his neck. "I-I may have forgotten about that." "Link!" she admonished. "Go help Fado. And be careful with Epona."

"Bu-"

"No buts. You have to help Fado," Ilia laughed. "Now go get Epona!" As Link turned he heard a quiet "Don't worry, the girl is fine. I managed to heal her..."

* * *

Aisling woke up to the sound of a door closing. The noise thundered in her ears, causing her pounding head to scream. She gingerly opened her eyes and regretted it as her left eye seared at the action. Gritting her teeth and baring it, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, and examined her surroundings. Or at least tried to. The world was blurred to her. She could just about make out the vases and books lined up neatly on multiple shelves. A wooden desk and chair sat over to her right. She was in someone's house. But the real question was who's. She pushed the multitude of blankets off her-

"Holy shit!"

Her skinny jeans were filthy, and at her left thigh the the material was hanging together by a few threads. Dozens of little holes dotted her thigh. She had no recollection of being injured. Now that she thought about it, she had no recollection of _anything_. O-only a dream? A vision? Of a boy.. and three golden women? She scrubbed her face in frustration, and hissing in pain at the jagged flesh she accidentally scratched.

She got to her feet without any major repercussions; if you discounted the increased throbbing in her head and the ringing in her ears. Her leg only hindered her slightly as she made her way to the door. Outside she could hear voices. "Link! How could you! You were pushing Epona too hard again! I bet you hurt her leg again jumping fences, didn't you!" yelled a feminine voice.

 _'Link? That's the boy from my dream/vision thingy!'_ Aisling burst out of the door, and emerged into a tiny village. The boy with bright blue eyes and shaggy, dirty blond hair from her dream was being yelled at by a girl. Aisling watched the situation, amused. This 'Link' had been rude to her in the dream.. but now he was having his ass handed to him. A burly man interrupted the girl. "Now,now, Ilia. There's no need to get so hot with him..."

"FATHER," she bellowed. "How can you be so easy on him? You're the MAYOR! You should start acting like one!" Ilia was seething with anger, and had the two 'men' ducking their heads in shame. Aisling burst into laughter at this pitiful sight.

Three sets of eyes were suddenly upon her. Her laughter died in that moment and she gulped audibly. "Uh... Hi?"  
"I'm glad you're awake," Ilia smiled. "We weren't sure if you'd wake up or not. Is your eye okay?"  
She cocked her head at the formerly angry girl's statement. "What happened to me? And no, it isn't. I.. my sight is fudged up."  
"You don't remember?" the Mayor asked. Aisling shook her head. "Link here," he patted Link on the shoulder, "found you severely injured and imprisoned in the Bokoblin camp. My daughter, Ilia, healed you when he brought you back."

"Uh.. thanks, Ilia," she mumbled. "Hey! What about my thanks?" Link asked. Aisling snorted. "You don't get one _Mr Hero_ because you were rude to me."  
Link muttered words that would make a Princess blush under his breath. Aisling narrowed her eyes at the irritating boy. "I heard that, you know!"

"You two.. know each other?" Ilia inquired.  
"Well.. I had a crazy dream about some golden women, and he was there," she jerked a thumb at a sulking Link. "Then _Mr Hero_ and I got a 'Triforce' on our hands." She lifted her hand up as proof. The Mayor and Ilia's jaws dropped. "You got chosen by the Goddesses?" Ilia gasped.  
"I don't know," she shrugged. "Ask him," she gestured at Link once more.

Link spent the next five minutes explaining the situation to both the Mayor and Ilia. Aisling observed quietly, taking in the people and charm of the quaint village. Aisling felt out of place in her dark, shredded jeans and t-shirt. She didn't belong here amongst the colourful tunics and sashes. As Aisling was observing everything, Ilia was stealing glances at her, analysing her. Aisling held her brilliant green eyes each time, unblinking. If this was some strange form of intimidation, Aisling refused to back down.  
Ilia abruptly left her conversation with Link, grabbed Aisling, and dragged her inside.  
"Agh! What the hell Ilia?" Aisling cried, as she was pulled by her hood through the door. Ilia merely laughed. "We can't have you wearing rags, Aisling. Come on. I'll get you some clothes to wear. And a covering for your eye." Aisling glanced at her ragged clothes. "I suppose that wouldn't be such a bad idea," she smiled sheepishly.

Aisling emerged from the house with new found respect for Ilia, and was now garbed in a sleeveless, cream tunic similar to Ilia's own, and a pair of brown pants. A patch of fabric was now tied around her face, blocking any light from getting to her bad eye. Ilia said that her eye will get better with time, and that agitated it with light would only slow it's recovery. She felt ridiculous, like some wannabe pirate. Link was going to laugh at her...  
She felt slightly awkward in the clothes as they were meant for Ilia's taller frame but instead looked too large on her... shortness to put it plainly. Anything was better than her wrecked clothes, however.  
Link examined her top-to-bottom and a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Aisling glared at Link, daring him to say anything about the ill-fitting clothes. To her surprise, he gave her a quick nod, the tiny smirk still in place, and said nothing. The two men resumed their conversation. Ilia walked up to the horse, tugging Aisling along by the wrist. "Come on, Aisling. We're going to take Epona to the forest spring." She rubbed the horse lovingly, and took the reigns in her hands. "Once we soothe her in the spirit's spring, she'll be better in no time." As Aisling and Ilia made their way across the bridge, she could hear Link calling, "Ilia, _please_. I need to go to Hyrule Castle." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ilia both frown and smile at his plea, but give no reply.

* * *

"Wow. This is beautiful."

Aisling found herself in Ordon Springs, and could not help but admire the beauty of the small waterfalls streaming into the clear pool, the mossy boulders with intricate patterns, and the white sand surrounding the water. It felt as though she had entered a small paradise.  
Ilia giggled at her awed expression, and closed the gates before leading Epona to the waters. "These waters have special healing properties.. it is said the one of the four lights spirits reside here in these waters," Ilia explained, rubbing the horse soothingly. "It's okay, Epona. You'll be better soon," she murmured.

Aisling made her way to the waters, slipped off her maroon canvas shoes- her only item of clothing that hadn't been wrecked- and gingerly inserted a toe. It was surprisingly warm. As soon as she stepped in the water had a tugging sensation began in her gut, and a light hum, like a warm melody, in her ear. It was as if something in the water was calling to her, reaching out. She leaped back on to the sand in a flash.

Ilia spun around at the sudden movement. "Aisling, what's wrong?" Ilia asked, concerned. "I.. uhhh..." She tried to think of a way to explain that didn't sound completely insane. "I just felt.. really dizzy all of a sudden. Maybe... I have a concussion?" Thankfully, Ilia seemed to have bought it. "You did get hit on your head really badly. Twice, in fact. A concussion is a likely side effect. You should sit down for a while. When we go back to my house, I will apply more salve to your wounds... or maybe give you a red potion..." Ilia trailed off, looking deep in thought as she contemplated her treatment of Aisling.

Aisling stayed clear of the water while Ilia treated Epona. Maybe she did have a concussion, but that doesn't mean that water should sing to her. At least she was sure it shouldn't.

"Ilia.. I'd.. um like to thank you for healing me.. and just being nice to me in general," she mumbled. She felt her face heat up, and decided to look at her bare feet as if they were the most interesting thing ever.  
Ilia's tinkling laugh reached her ears. "Aisling, you have no need to thank me. I only healed a person in need. And besides, us girls have to stick together, right?"  
She smiled gratefully for a moment, until her mind drifted to more depressing thoughts...  
"Though, what am I supposed to do, Ilia?", she lamented. "My memories have been stolen, I'm supposed to go on quest with a boy who I argue with every five seconds, and don't even get me started on this 'Triforce'-"

"Aisling, you worry too much," Ilia comforted. "Destiny has it's way of working out. And Link, well I'm sure you'll get on when you get to know each other better." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Link normally isn't like that, you know. He's very sweet, and kind- though such a lazy bones. And careless too," Ilia rolled her eyes at that. "but I think you will get on great given time."

"I wish I could be as reassured as you, Ilia.

There was a quiet knock at the gate, and outside stood young boy Aisling hadn't seen before. His large blue eyes gazed at Ilia with sadness. "Hey, Ilia," he mumbled shyly. "Hello, Colin," she smiled, and walked over to let him in.  
There were more footsteps at the entrance to the spring- it was Link. Ilia's face contorted at the sight of him. "If you came to take Epona back, you can FORGET it!", she shouted, shutting the gates in Link's face. "Why don't you think what you've done for a change! I won't open the gate until you change your attitude!" She stomped back over to Epona, and resumed her treatment of the horse. Aisling watched as Colin and Link exchanged whispered words, and then as Link walked away, with some unknown purpose in his stride. Her eyes narrowed at Colin suspiciously.

He walked over to Aisling first, much to her confusion. "Aisling, right?" he began, sitting down beside her. She nodded. "Can you help me convince Ilia to give Epona back to Link? He needs her so he can deliver the Ordon sword to the Royal family in Castle Town. It's very important."  
"Whoa, kid," she said. "I don't know you people- heck, I don't even know myself. I'm not going to get involved in an argument between Link and Ilia."  
She snickered for a short second. She'd never say it aloud, but it was really funny to see Link have his ass handed to him by Ilia. He. was. _whipped_.  
Colin gave her this ridiculously cute pleading look, and it melted her heart. She sighed dramatically. "I doubt she'll listen to me, but I'll.. try." Colin's face lit up with a smile that she could not help but return.

"Uh.. Ilia?" she asked awkwardly. The girl with short blonde hair shifted her attention to Aisling. "I.. I was wondering if there's any chance you could forgive Link? As annoying as he is... _very_ annoying, in fact. He did save me, Talo and a monkey from the Bokoblins. I'm sure Epona getting hurt was a complete accident." She winced vulnerably, waiting for the backlash. To her surprise, Ilia just smiled and looked at Colin. "You put Aisling up to this, didn't you, Colin?" Colin toed the sand awkwardly with a ducked head. "I.. don't want you and Link to fight , Ilia." He met Ilia's gaze. "He didn't mean to hurt Epona, and he's very sorry."

Ilia's face softened for a moment, and her eyebrows dipped. "But, Colin..." There was a scuffle behind Aisling. She spun around to see Link emerged out of a tiny tunnel. Her eyes flickered back to Ilia who tensed at the new arrival. Ilia moved towards Epona, but the mare snorted and shook her head.  
"So you still prefer your master over me, huh, Epona?" she smiled, albeit a little sadly. "Don't worry about your horse, Link. Fortunately, it looks like the injury isn't too serious. You can go on together." Link smiled happily at her words, and made his way over to Epona. "But, Link... Can you at least promise me this?" Link's face grew at little more serious.

Aisling backed away towards the gates, feeling that she was intruding on a moment.

"No matter what happens on your journey, on your quest with Aisling, don't try to do anything... out of your league. Please. Just come home safely." A small smile, filled with warmth, grew on Link's face. He walked over to Ilia and enveloped her in a massive hug, murmuring something in her ear that Aisling couldn't hear. Ilia giggled. Ilia wormed out of the hug and gave Link a playful punch on the shoulder.

The ground started to shake and the thundering of hooves pounded in Aisling's ears. She turned to face the approaching noise only to be smacked with the gate as it burst open. She hit the surrounding rocky shelf with a low _thud_. Dazed and disorientated, with black spots in her vision, she could see large blurs of green and brown enter the spring. The three smaller blurs of colour slumped, and fell into the shallow water with a splash.

Then, the world went black.

* * *

Link's eyes snapped open. With a groan he sat up, rubbing his head tentatively. Prior events flashed behind his eyes. Willing away the throbbing of his head, he jumped to his feet, examining the spring frantically. They were gone; the Bulblins had taken them. Worry rooted deep within his core; he had to hurry. He had to find them.  
He ran towards the shattered gates, when a low moan to his left had him skidding to a sudden stop. Someone shifted under the wooden debris. With bated breath he moved the wooden remains. It was Aisling! He felt both relief and disappointment swell in his chest. A guilty part of him wished Ilia was in her place. He knelt beside the petite girl and shook her gently at first. A small whimper escaped her mouth. He shook harder this time. "Wake up, Aisling! Wake up. We have to find Ilia and Colin!" The response was a fluttering of her eyelids as she gradually came to. "Link?" she asked groggily. He rolled his eyes. "No. It's Princess Zelda," he dead-panned. "Now get up, shorty, Ilia and Colin have been taken!" These words sobered her up. Now alert and panicked, and rather irritated, she got to her feet, tugging him with her. "Well let's go find them, _Mr. Hero_ ," she replied scathingly. Her face took on a more serious look. "Seriously, lets go." And they both took off sprinting towards the Faron province...

* * *

"What the heck is _that_?" Aisling gasped. Link was in no condition to respond, as he too, was at a loss.  
A barrier, as black as night, stood in the way of their quest to find Ilia and Colin. It was both solid and liquid, yet neither, as if shifted and shimmered in waves. Symbols in a key-like shape with an eye, and of lines and rectangles decorated the inky substances, emitting a faint golden glow.  
They approached it wearily. Link's hand inched carefully towards the substance, preparing to jump back at any side-effect, when two black hands emerged and grabbed both him and Aisling, pulling them screaming past the barrier.

The hands belonged to a beast unlike anything they had ever seen, with a black shield covering it's face and dark tendrils of hair. It's body was covered in black markings, and the center of it's chest marked with a web of fuchsia. The world was distorted- devoid of light, and dark particles materialised and floated towards the orange sky continuously.  
They thrashed in its iron grip, but nothing seemed to be working until the Triforce on the back of their hands lit up with a blinding golden light. The beast shrieked and flung them as far as it could.  
They landed in a heap, but only Aisling got to her feet. Link convulsed on the ground as wave after wave of pain tore through his body. A guttural scream wrenched it's way past his lips and progressed to a roar. The popping joints and tearing of sinew reached his ears. The world became sharper, overwhelming his senses for a moment, then all went black.

* * *

"Oh my god I'm in a prison cell. I am chained up. Link is a wolf. I'm going to die. Holy mother fucking shit of shits. Oh man," said a panicky voice. Footsteps paced around the floor, the plods echoing back and forth. Breaths were taken too fast, it increased rapidly until it reached an alarming rate, and then gradually began to slow. "Stupid fucking panic attacks," the voice muttered breathlessly after a the breathing slowed.

 _Unconsciousness dragged him to the depths once more..._

Sobs reached his ears. And sniffs. The voice was crying. The cries were ragged and choppy, the voice was trying to hold them back. Link attempted to open his eyes, but his lids felt like lead, and refused to open.

 _The sounds faded away, and for the third time there was nothing..._

"Fuck!" the voice roared. A massive _clang_ of metal followed. Link groggily opened his eyes to see an infuriated Aisling kick the metal bars of their cell with her free leg. The other had a thick chain just above the ankle. He looked down to check his own bounds, and was startled to see a coat of black and white fur, and a paw with a chain clamped on it. He yelped. Aisling snapped around at the noise, and a grin broke out. "Link!" she cried. "I thought you'd never wake up." She came as close to him as the chain would let her, which was still about a foot away.

"Where are we? What happened?" he tried to say, but all that came out was a howl.  
"I'm afraid I don't speak Wolf," Aisling said, with the straightest face she could muster. Link rolled his eyes. "Well at least that establishes that you can understand me," she snickered. He inclined his head towards the bars keeping them imprisoned. To his delight, she understood. "There's a hole in the bars over there," she pointed. "I broke the box that was in the way, but... our chains don't seem to have any noticeable faul-" Aisling perked up, as if some tune only heard by her caught her attention. Her eyes left his she was looking behind him. Link, alarmed by the sudden change in the girl, spun around.

An impish creature with navy and white-grey skin hovered in front of him. Mint coloured runes marked her lower arms, parts of her legs, and pointed ears. Her one orange eye that wasn't covered by her helmet gleamed with mischief. Orange hair emerged from the top of the strange helmet, the end in the form of a hand. She grinned at the them, a small fang poking over her lip. "I found you!" she cackled. Hackles raised, Link growled at her.  
"Oooh! Aren't you scary!" She shivered with mock fear. "Eee hee! Are you sure you want to be doing that? Snarling and glaring at me?" Link snarled even louder. "Well, that's too bad," she feigned disappointment. "I was planning on on helping you... if you were nice." He glanced back at Aisling, who was glaring at the condescending creature. He straightened up. "Eee Hee! That's much better! You humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?" A smirk broke out. "Oops!" she said, patting him on the head. "But you AREN'T a human any more, are you? You're a beast! Eee Hee!"

"What do you want?" Aisling asked, with barely concealed anger. "My, my," the imp giggled. "You're not even the one with sharp teeth, and _you're_ the one biting. Eee Hee!"  
The imp brought her arms closer to her chest and spun her hands in a circular motion. A dark orb, sparking with fuchsia lightning, formed. The imp snapped her arms out, and the orb dispersed, and with a _crack_ , their chains broke. Link and Aisling examined their freed limbs. "You look kind of surprised!" she giggled.  
"So!" she began, floating towards the bars. "I bet you're wondering, where exactly are we?!" There was a _pop_ and she disintegrated into dark particles and reappeared on the other side. "Well, I'll make you a deal," she giggled. "If you can get over here, maybe I'll tell you! Eee hee!"

"'Coz that's _soooooooo_ flippin' hard. Stupid imp," Aisling muttered. Link never thought he'd be on Aisling's side, but the jeering imp brought the camaraderie in him. "Link, can you go under the bars and get her to open the doors for me? I.. don't think I'll fit in the gap. You can tunnel your way out, right?"  
Link barked his agreement, and made his way over to the hole in the bars. Using his powerful forelegs, he tunnelled his way to the other side. When he emerged the imp was nowhere in sight. He looked around, her giggles echoing in the draughty prison. The was a sudden weight on his back, and he tried to buck it off.  
"Hmph! I guess you're not completely stupid after all!" the imp said in his ear. Link tried to maintain his cool. She patted his head with a giggle.  
"Listen, I like you, so I think I'll get you out of here." She grabbed the scruff of his neck, pulling him closer to her. "But in exchange for my help, you have to do EXACTLY as I say!" Link growled internally. If he was ever human again- _when_ he was human again, he'd have a few choice words for the patronising imp.

He inclined his head towards his old cell and barked. "Oh yes. Your friend," the imp said. "I think I'll be leaving her there, I don't like her." Link could almost _hear_ the smirk in her voice. Aisling reacted accordingly, uttering every swear word under the sun, including a few Link had never heard. The imp cackled.

A dark orb later and Aisling was standing outside the cell too, scowling fiercely at the imp. She just cackled, however, not caring about Aisling's rage.  
They made their way into the next room, with a sulking Aisling trailing behind. A single chain hung from the ceiling, so he went up and jumped at it, using his teeth to pull it.

When he landed there was a sudden _CRACK_ and smell of ozone. He spun around to see Aisling convulsing on the ground, fuchsia lightning coursing through her.

* * *

 **Holy crap that was long. I thought I'd never get it finished XD A lot of dialogue in this one. You may have noticed some (a decent bit of it) is in-game dialogue. I hope you got insight into the characters, especially Aisling considering she's my OC. She's such a potty mouth, isn't she?**

 **The worst thing about English is how there's so many types! Mine is a mish-mash of American and English so words like.. realise/realize for example, may be spelt one way one time, and the another the next. I do apologise/apologize, I can't help it. XD**

 **I always seem to update this at 3am...**


	4. The Castle

**A/N: Je suis trés désolé, mes amis! I have two reasons for the ridiculously long wait (I profusely apologise, of course) 1. I got a job (and literally only have enough energy to sleep and eat XD) and it's been taking up a lot of my time. 2. I started watching anime, and it's blown up into a full time addiction XD Fairy Tail is simply amazing.  
I do hope this chapter was worth the wait..  
I got a new cover image too! I made it myself, I hope ye like it!  
** **I decided I'll do acknowledgements of reviewers etc.. at the end of the chapter any more, as it must be annoying to have to read the at the beginning.**

 **A Guest told me that one of the things weren't exactly clarified in this chapter so I rewrote a little bit of it. I hope it makes more sense, Guest! If there are things I can work on, don't be afraid to tell me, coz then I can fix it and hopefully make your reading of Balance more enjoyable.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Legend of Zelda, Nintendo. owns. _all_. I _do_ have this awesome Link tshirt though...**

* * *

"Oh yes. Your friend," the imp said. "I think I'll be leaving her there, I don't like her."

Aisling growled and uttered every swear word that crossed her mind. The imp merely cackled at her cussing, angering Aisling even further.  
She'd been acquainted with the infuriating, overly-sarcastic imp for about fifteen minutes, and Aisling already wanted to give her a good kick up the arse.

To make matters worse; _The Song_ was back. Hearing it again proved one thing; Aisling was going mad. _The_ _Song_ was different this time, however. At the Ordon Springs the melody had been sweet and light, but now it was dark and brooding, causing Aisling to shudder. The volume increased and decreased as the imp flitted around the cell, leaving only one logical conclusion to Aisling; the song was originating from her helmet.

The curiosity niggled at Aisling as she made her way out of the cell, glaring at the little imp while doing so. If she could just touch it...

As the seconds ticked by, Aisling found herself drawn to the helmet. It called to her, asking her to touch it. Aisling tried to will the urge away, but she could feel its presence in the back of her mind, wearing away at her resistance.

They moved into the next room, with Aisling at the back of the pack, waging a war within her mind. The moment the imp and Link's attention was elsewhere the song amplified tenfold, it's bitter-sweet melody seeping into every pore, right down to her soul. She fought the intrusion as best she could, but her will began to waver and her body moved towards the imp of it's own accord. Locked inside her own body, she could only watch as her arm reached out to the helm and made contact.

 _CRACK_

A bolt of lightning burst forth, hitting her and sending her convulsing to the ground. Through darkening eyes she saw the duo jump around at the _s_ udden noise, but it was already too late. The pain and darkness consumed her.

* * *

The first thing Aisling was aware of was the cold, hard ground. Her whole body felt leaden. Her limbs responded sluggishly to her movements; getting to her feet left her breathless. She wiped away the thin sheen of sweat from her brow with a pale grey-blue hand.

 _A what?!  
_ She examined herself frantically, to find that the rest of her skin was the same grey-blue. Blue vein-like lines traversed up her forearms like little spider webs. Her fingers were decorated by the same cyan blue, and the skin that wasn't covered by her pants had runic spirals forming a band around her left calf. Just like the Imp... What the hell was going on?  
The sound of her heavy breathing was the only thing she could hear in the stone room. Thankfully, _The_ _Song_ was gone, but the imp's helmet was responsible for this... transformation. Aisling wanted answers.

 _"_ About time you woke up," an unfortunately familiar voice giggled. "Wolfie and I were just about to leave you here, isn't that right, boy? Eee Hee!"  
A soft growl was the reply.

Aisling turned towards the voice to see Link and the imp sitting in the opposite side of the room. The imp was lazing on his back, checking out her nails, and emitting exaggerated yawns. Link just stared at her, looking very confused about the situation. Aisling met his eyes and shrugged her shoulders- she was just as confused as he was. Aisling felt anger rise within her at the Imp's seemingly nonchalant actions, but tried to quell it as she needed answers that only the imp could give her. "What happened to me?" she asked, her face a deceivingly calm mask.  
A single orange eye met hers, and she almost shivered. "Why don't you tell me?" the imp smirked darkly.  
Aisling scrutinised the imp only to find the usual mischievous glint in her single visible eye was not there. The imp must not know what happened either.  
"It's great to see that you're so knowledgeable, Imp," she snorted. The red eye narrowed so minutely, Aisling almost thought she imagined it, but then the imp cackled, "Finally. S _omeone_ knows how to have a little fun."  
Aisling sighed at the imp. "Come on, Link," she said. "Let's just do what she wants, so she'll tell us what's going on.." Link barked in agreement, and bounded into the darkness with the giggling imp on his back. _'This is going to be difficult,'_ Aisling lamented as she walked sluggishly into the dark hole in the wall.

* * *

"Eee hee! Awww, did the detour tire you out, little wolf?"  
Link growled.  
"It looks like the spirits here... They're all soldiers. Where in the world could we be? Eee Hee!"  
Aisling let out a low grumble.  
"Awww," the imp sighed in mock despair. "I was really hoping the two of you would be fun," she trailed off with an even bigger sigh.  
"Well, what do you expect?" Aisling snarled. "We've been trudging through this dungeon for- I don't even know how long, and you still haven't told us anything!" There was a rumble from the wolf, signifying his agreement.  
The imp tutted. "Now, now. No need to be so... _beastly_ ," she eyed Link with a smirk. "We're nearly outside. We just have a flight of stairs to climb. Eee Hee!"

Grumbling under her breath, Aisling advanced into the next room. "How the hell are we supposed to climb that?" she spluttered. The so-called 'stairs' were in ruins. More of the stone steps were missing than were actually there. No-one could ascend the spiral tower by any normal means.  
The imp giggled, "You'll just have to figure that out for yourself!"

Link was the first to move. With swift bounds, he ascended the stairs. As he approached the first gap he sped up even further, muscles rippling under the grey coat of fur. He soon ran out of stone and was soaring through the air towards the next fragment of stairs. With a low thud, his front paws found purchase, and forelegs scrambled for grip. There was a sudden rumble, and the stone Link was climbing began to crumble. Gravity dragged the wolf into the murky water below with a loud splash.

"Link!" Aisling cried. She sprinted over to the shallow pool, and shrieked as the wolf burst out, shaking his coat and drenching her in the process. "Link!" she spluttered indignantly. The wolf emitted a strange gargling noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. The imp was in fits of giggles herself, hovering over the waterline.  
As the rippling water settled, Aisling caught a blurry glimpse of her reflection. Her face was the same pale grey-blue as the rest of her body, and her pointy ears had the same cyan lines as the Imp. But the most startling of all was the red eyes that looked back at her. She watched the figure in the water visibly pale and shudder. This... person was _her_?  
"Eee hee hee! Did you get scared by your own reflection?"  
Aisling huffed and stomped past her and climbed up the stairs. She drew to a halt just at the where the first fragment of stairs ended, "Well, Imp, we're all out of ideas. For someone who said she wanted to help us, you're very reluctant to _actually_ do so."  
The Imp sighed dramatically. She flitted up towards Aisling, and commanded Link to follow. "I guess I have to do EVERYTHING for you two... I'll guide you to sure footing, little wolf, so follow me! Eee Hee!" She disappeared in a shower of dark particles and with a _pop_ was on the next fragment of stairs. Link jumped after her until again and again he was on a large chunk , and to both Aisling's relief and surprise; he didn't fall or stumble once.

"But what about me?" Aisling asked. The imp looked thoughtful, her lower lip tucked under her teeth. It was an odd expression for the Imp to wear, Aisling decided. "You need to embrace the shadows around you. Become the one with shadows just as you are part of the light."  
Aisling's eyebrows scrunched with confusion. Deciding to trust the Imp, she did as the Imp asked, closing her eyes and tried to imagine herself as 'one with the shadows'. In her mind the world was an oily blur, and she blended in seamlessly. Time ticked by as she waited from something- _anything_ to happen. She could feel her companions eyes upon her, and it made her squirm.  
There was a sharp tug at her gut and a _pop_ similar to that of what she heard only moments before, and when she opened her eyes she found her eyes could see perfectly in the new darkness. Everything was cast in shadow, devoid of colour and their original forms were warped. Nothing looked solid- not even she was completely solid- all she could see were shadows of the objects that were around her. She could just make out the outline of Link and Midna amongst the sea of greys and blacks.

There was another _pop_ and the imp suddenly materialised. Unlike Aisling, she was completely solid in form. The Imp was silent for a moment, eyeing Aisling with an intense but curious gaze. "What are you," she murmured absent-mindedly. She then shook her head- the act breaking her out of her trance. Her face took on it's usual tint of mischief. "You can come over here, you know. Or do you want to me to hold your hand on the way?" she cackled.  
"And here I was thinking you were actually a decent person deep deep _deep_ down," Aisling sighed. The Imp, as predicted, giggled.  
With a barely audible gulp, Aisling stepped off the shadowy platform. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she made her way over to the Imp; gravity didn't claim her. The only problem now was getting out of the shadowy domain. Before she could even ask the question in mind, the Imp snarled, "Now that we're alone, tell me why you touched the Fused Shadow."  
"The what?" she blinked.  
"Don't play stupid with me, _human_."  
Aisling's mind blanked at the abrupt attack. "I-I swear I have no idea no idea what you're talking about," she stammered.  
The Imp's face contorted angrily, and she went up right in Aisling's face, her teeth bared menacingly. " _Tell. The. Truth._ "  
Aisling at that moment realised that as mocking and easy-going as the Imp seemed; she was not to be trifled with. She cleared her throat, hastily collected her thoughts, and broke into a long spiel about the events leading up to her imprisonment. Her gaze was at the hazy shadows of her feet, but if she had paid attention to the Imp, she would've noticed the Imp's face morph from anger to bewilderment to contemplation. Aisling's voice quietened as she reached the end of the story, her voice a mere whisper as she mentioned _The_ _Song_. She glanced up through her long lashes to see the Imp looking at her with both unease and open curiosity.  
"The Balancer," the Imp muttered under her breath, her face slightly contorted with an emotion Aisling could not decipher. Aisling barely caught the words- they clearly weren't meant for her ears. "The what?"  
An orange eye snapped up to hers. "Nothing. Now let's get back, Wolfie will be wondering if I killed you or not. Luckily for you, I won't... _yet_." The Imp let out her almost expected cackle. but it didn't sound right. It sounded forced. It unnerved Aisling to say the least. She almost preferred the scornful side of the Imp than this perturbed side.  
"Now re-embrace the world of light." Aisling shut her eyes, trying to form a clear image of the 'world of light' as the Imp had called it. She really needed an explanation for what had just happened. She felt that tugging at her gut again, and murmured a quick thanks to the Imp.

The barks of a wolf grabbed her attention and she opened her eyes to see Link and the Imp by her side. She regarded the Imp curiously, cocking her head to the side. The Imp had been rather helpful, well, not including the attack in the shadowy world, and not completely scornful for once. It was a unexpected but pleasant change, Aisling noted. The Imp held her eyes with an hardened stare, as if daring her to speak out.  
The wolf looked up at her, deep blue eyes shimmering with confusion and curiosity. She simply shrugged, "I have no idea," and continued her climb of the stairs.

* * *

"So we were finally able to get out," the Imp said. Neither Aisling or Link replied as they took in the grandeur of the castle battlements. Some parts were broken, and strange beasts flew through the air with shrieks that had her flinching, but nevertheless Aisling was extremely impressed. It had a rather medieval touch to it that she found beautiful. A beauty that was marred by the strange, darkened sky.  
"And look at the sky! Isn't the black cloud of _twilight_ beautiful today?"  
Aisling frowned at the Imp's seemingly casual small-talk. "Do you know where this is? You STILL don't know? Eee hee hee!"  
She opened her mouth to speak but the Imp continued, "Look, there's someone I want to introduce you to... but I'll need you to go to that tower in the distance." She pointed at a lone tower not far away from their position.

"You still haven't told us where we are, or what's going on." Aisling muttered.  
"I don't remember agreeing to telling you. Hmm.. Did I? _Nope_ ," she said, popping the p. "I didn't. Eee Hee! However," her face took on a mischievous smirk, "maybe _that_ spirit will have the answers..."  
And so Aisling found herself approaching another green wisp. She was unable to understand the spirits, or 'focus her senses' and see their true form. Apparently only the Imp and Link could do this.  
The Imp began to cackle with glee after a few seconds had passed, Aisling could only assume Link learnt of their location. "Where are we?" she begged.  
"I'm sure wolf-boy here, can tell you," the Imp cackled.  
Aisling had been almost convinced the Imp had changed. Maybe a miniscual one, but a one large enough that still showed that she wasn't completely heartless. Of course the Imp would prove her wrong. Aisling huffed, "I'll just find someone else to tell me, you know!" and stormed off.

* * *

Aisling was exhausted. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she rested by the entrance of the tower. When she had stormed ahead of the others, she hadn't expected to run into so many enemies. Only her new found shadow travel ability, as she had started to call it, kept her alive. Although it left her zapped of her strength. She'd have to ask the Imp about it, she decided with a firm nod.

A bark sounded nearby and she looked up to see a grey wolf bounding towards her. Link drew to a halt just in time. Panting heavily, he raised a front paw and hit her on the shoulder. "Hey!" she pouted. She looked in his cerulean eyes to find them ablaze with anger and worry. A pit grew heavy in her stomach; she felt touched by his concern, and slightly guilty about her reckless actions. "I have a temper?" she offered sheepishly. Link growled at her, and the Imp sighed, "Oh. You're still alive."  
Aisling felt the familiar anger flare within her, but forced herself to be calm; there was no point in losing her temper again. It wasn't worth it. "Congratulations on the astute observation," she remarked dryly. The Imps eye twitched in response, and Aisling could barely hold back a gleeful grin. A small giggle escaped her lips as she entered the tower.

"Imp, who are you bringing us to see?" Aisling asked as they ascended the stairs. "You'll see," was all the Imp said. The stairs came to a stop and in its place was a heavy iron door with two torches on brackets hanging from either side. Link was the first to move forward, and he cautiously nudged the door open with his snout. The opening door revealed a sparsely decorated room with only a four poster bed to the left. A lone figure clothed in a dark hooded cape stood by the window.  
Link entered the room cautiously, growling at the figure as he moved. His posture gave away his suspicion, until he heard a feminine gasp and immediately relaxed. Aisling rolled her eyes, and the Imp let out an exasperated sigh. _Boys._ Aisling quietly moved into the room too, but kept close to the door.

The figure turned around. "Midna?!"  
Aisling tried to catch a glimpse of the women, but the hood concealed the majority of her face, leaving only her pale blue eyes and sharp nose visible.  
"Eee Hee! You remembered my name? What an honour for me!" the Imp cackled caustically.  
The mysterious women ignored Midna's remark, and her eyes settled on Link. "So, this is the one for whom you were searching..."  
"He's not exactly what I had in mind, but... I guess he'll do," Midna said. "Oh, how could I forget?! I brought another _esteemed_ guest," she sniggered, jerking a thumb back at Aisling. Aisling snorted, but then gulped as the hooded figure faced her. The cloaked women's expression was unreadable as she asked, "May I ask who you are?" Aisling mumbled a quick reply and decided that the floor demanded her attention, refusing to look anywhere else. "Aisling..." the women murmured, as if she was testing the name. The pale blue eyes then noticed the shackle on her leg. "... You were imprisoned?" The almost regretful tone of the women's voice piqued Aisling's interest. She made a grunt of assent in reply.  
The women then apologised for their imprisonment, leaving Aisling _very_ confused. She moved away from the door towards the hooded women.  
Midna proceeded to pat Link on his flank with fake sympathy. "The _poor_ things, they have no idea where this is or what's happened..." A smirk grew on her lips. "So, don't you think you think you should explain to them what _you've_ managed to do? You owe them that much... _Twilight Princess_! Eee Hee!" Aisling frowned. What did Midna mean by Twilight Princess? Was she in the presence of royalty? Did this unknown place _even_ have royalty? She brought her fingers to her temples and proceeded to rub in soothing circles; this train of thought was bound to give her a migraine if she kept it up.

The woman ignored Midna's remarks. "Listen carefully," she said to Link and Aisling. "This was once the land were the power of the gods was said to slumber. This once was the kingdom of Hyrule."  
This ' _Hyrule_ ' didn't ring any bells with Aisling, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Link perk up at the words.  
"But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules twilight... It has been transformed into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures that shun the light. Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without light, the people became as spirits." The woman stood up and looked out the window as she spoke, her tone a somber one. "Within the twilight, they live on, unaware that they have passed into spirit forms...All the people know now is fear... Fear of a nameless evil." She turned to face them. "The kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remained its princess..." The women pulled down her hood, revealing flawless pale skin, and a beautiful golden crown resting atop long, brown hair. "I am Zelda," was all she said. Link immediately did a wolf version of a bow, bending his forelegs, and Midna let out a surprised squeal as she nearly slid off him. Aisling was too startled by the sudden revelation to laugh at Midna.  
"You don't have to look so sad!" Midna said with a surprisingly soft tone. Then her usual fanged smirk took over as she spoke casually. "We actually find it to be quite liveable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"  
The Princesses only reaction was a small sigh. "Midna... This is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you... Why is this?"  
A brief solemn expression overtook Midna's face as she got off Link and faced away from the Princess. "Why indeed? You tell me! Eee hee hee!" she then cackled, but it sounded forced.

Aisling's brow furrowed. She couldn't understand this Imp whatsoever. She was patronising and rude. Sarcastic and aggressive when she wanted to be, and clearly had ulterior motives for helping her and Link. But... there seemed to be this.. _profound_ sadness as well, lurking under the carefully constructed shell of scorn. Midna even treated the Princess with the same scorn. It left left Aisling both befuddled and intrigued.

Once again, the Princess showed no obvious reaction to Midna's words, and faced Aisling and Link again. "Time has grown short. The guard will soon make his rounds." There was a surprised bark to her right as Midna plopped down on top of the wolf, giving him a fright. Aisling stifled an oncoming giggle.  
"You must leave here, quickly."  
Aisling turned to leave but a hand gripped her just above her right elbow and spun her around. Her grey eyes met intense blue ones. "You and the wolf have been blessed with the mark of the Triforce." Aisling remained silent. The Princess seemed to be at conflict with herself for a moment, but then tugged the glove off her right hand, showing Aisling the mark of the Triforce that resides on the back of her hand. "I bear the Triforce of Wisdom. It allows premonitions to sneak into my dreams, allowing glimpses of possible futures. Your destiny is intertwined deeply with the fate of my kingdom, that much I have foreseen." The grip on her arm tightened, and the princess spoke in a slightly desperate tone, "You must do everything in your power to restore the land to how it once was. I have no choice but to remain here for the sake of my people. I know that what I ask is a heavy burden, but I sense the power within both you and the wolf. _Please_ , do this. Not for me, but for the sake of the people of Hyrule."  
Aisling found the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. She was unable to do anything, but gape at the Princess.

"Let's leave her behind while we have the chance, Wolfie!" Midna said loudly as they left the room, which was followed by a growl and a cackle. It brought Aisling back to her senses. She glanced back at the door and swore at retreating Imp, but then realised she was in the presence of royalty. She met the Princesses eyes with a determined look. "I will."

A small smile graced the Princesses features as she watched the raven haired girl leave the room. As she pulled up her hood once more and faced the window, she could hear Aisling and Midna bickering outside the door. She couldn't help but shake her head at that. The fate of Hyrule rested on the shoulders of a girl who wasn't even from this world, a Twili, and a boy in the form of a wolf. The Goddesses had wicked sense of humour.

* * *

They barely made it out. With only seconds to spare before the guard spotted them, Midna found a window to go out. Aisling's heart still thundered in her chest for the fear that had gripped her only moments ago. It had been _way_ to close for her liking. Midna flitted ahead towards the end of the roof they were currently on. Aisling couldn't help but shiver as the downpour of rain soaked her clothes. Ilia's clothes were not suited for this kind of weather. She walked with Link towards Midna. She couldn't help but wonder what their next move was. Was the Imp going to help them further and find a way for them to go home, or finally reveal the price for her help. Probably then later.

The Imp faced away from them, only to turn around when the were right behind her. Her eyes were bright with mischief and malice. "Eee hee hee! Well? Do you understand where we are now?" They both stayed silent. She seemed a bit miffed at that. "I guess a promise is a promise, so I'll let go back to where you first tumbled into twilight... But..." And there it was. Exactly what Aisling was expecting from Midna; repayments were to made for her help. "Are you sure you should be going back?" she asked with a devious smirk. "Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything.. _important_?" Midna warped into the shape of a screaming Colin, and then Ilia. Staying in Ilia's form, she approached Link and flicked him on the nose with a finger. "Don't you want to save them?" she giggled darkly. Link was completely silent, and continued to stare at the fake Ilia before him. Aisling gritted her teeth, and her fists clenched in anger. Tormenting him with images of his kidnapped friends was beyond cruel. Midna took the silence as a yes. "Well, in that case, little Midna would be happy to help you!" The devious smirks and malicious glint in her eye looked out of place on Ilia's face. "But.. Well, you'd have to be my servant... and like a servant, you'd have to do exactly what I say." Aisling fought the urge to yell at the Imp, her fists clenching and unclenching reflexively. "Why don't you two go back, take a little time, and give it some thought! Eee hee hee!"

Aisling gasped as she felt that familiar tug that she associated with shadow travelling. She looked at Link, only to see him disintegrate into a shower of black particles. Then, everything went black.

* * *

 **A/N: ZELDA KNOWS ABOUT AISLING?! WUTTT?  
And that's the fourth chapter. That took over a month to come out... which I feel incredibly bad about. I'll try and not let that happen again, guys! I'm just not used to balancing work along with everything else. I guess I need Aisling to teach me about balance.**

 **A massive thanks to my reviewers! Your reviews are what inspire me to write. I hope you continue to enjoy and review this story!**

 **AMaeJay: English is very stupid. It frustrates me to no end. XD I'm glad you like Midna! I hope I keep portraying her properly :)**

 **Koal: I understand you were a little disappointed with what happened in Chapter 3. I hope this makes up for it ;)**

 **Naxu: I'm glad you like it! Your review is a little confusing as you told me to put Courage on the left and Wisdom on the right (which is what my old cover had in the first place.) My new cover has the triforce pieces in the correct positions, so, I hope you like it!**

 **And to all those who followed my story: Thank you very much!**


	5. The Sword and the Shield

**Hi guys! Well.. at least the chapter didn't take over a month *awkward laugh* I'm not going to offer any of my lame excuses coz ye're probably sick of them :D**

 **Hope ye enjoy! :)**

* * *

If you had told Link that in the space of two days he would rescue a crazy amnesiac girl, be chosen by the goddesses, watch his friends get kidnapped, turn into a wolf, be imprisoned, meet a overly sarcastic imp _and_ meet the Princess, he would've questioned your mental health.  
But now he watched silently as the said imp warped into the form of Colin and his best friend Ilia. In his periphery he saw Aisling clench both her jaw and fists, and glare at Midna. He was surprised the imp hadn't combusted under her stormy glare.

You want to know his opinion on the matter? He had no clue what was going on. So many emotions and thoughts were spinning around his head he could barely make sense of them. He was worried to death about Ilia and Colin. He was both honoured and anxious that the Goddesses had place their trust in him. The word confused was a major understatement when it came to Aisling's transformation and ability to warp like Midna. While he'd never admit it aloud, he was scared about his transformation into a wolf. What if he couldn't change back? But most of all he was _determined_ to see this journey to the end. He _will_ save Hyrule. He _will_ save his friends. And if he has time at the end, he'll try to even help Aisling get her memory back. Depending on how annoying she decided to be...

"Why don't you go back, take a little time, and give it some thought. Eee hee hee!" The words brought an abrupt stop to his thoughts. Crap. He hadn't even listened to Midna, what did she say?  
A unexpected tugging sensation in his gut at him in a panic. He locked eyes with Midna, but then everything went black.

* * *

He ended up in a familiar place. The Ordon Springs were as beautiful as ever; the crystal-clear water fell from the rocks into the shallow pool, and a light breeze blew gently against his skin. It was relaxing. Until a roar of "FUCK" shattered the serenity. Link faced the sound to see a frustrated Aisling scowl at her reflection in the water. A small bark of surprise escaped as he noticed she hadn't changed back into her regular form. The irked girl turned her eyes to his and snarled, "What are _you_ looking at, Wolf Boy?!" He flinched at the venom in her voice.

... _Wolf Boy?!_

With a yelp he examined himself to find his was still in the form of the beast. He whined at his bad luck. Some of the anger in Aisling's eyes was replaced with mirth as she snorted at him. "Just our luck, huh."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to mention one thing... Though you may have left the darkened realm, you haven't transformed back into your former self... and you won't anytime soon!"

Link spun around in circles, trying to locate the source of Midna's voice. It sounded so close..  
"Now why could that be? Eee hee hee!"

"Stop hiding, Midna!" Aisling growled.

To Link's shock and horror, the imp emerges from his shadow. " _Why_?" she whined. "Hide-and-Seek is _so_ much fun." Aisling began to mutter obscenities under her breath,and Link continued to stare at Midna's shadowy form. It was if her shadow had replaced her actual body! "Eee hee hee! Did you think I'd disappeared? I bet you missed me!"  
"Listen, there's another another thing I forgot to tell you...," Midna began, her more serious this time. "Don't think you can just run off and save your friends, because you can't. Just beyond that bridge, the land is covered in twilight. Last time, a shadow beast pulled you through the curtain of twilight... But if you want to go that way this time, you'll need the cooperation of someone _from_ the twilight, like me! So you really have no choice but to do as I say. Saving your friends and all that... Well, that'll depend on your actions... Because you can never trust words, you know. Right now, I want a sword and a shield that'll suit me. You do understand me, don't you? Eee hee hee! So,what do you plan to do? While your here dawdling, twilight continues to expand. Come on! Hurry it up!"  
He growled at the shadowy figure, and proceeded to leave the spring towards Ordon village.

"Link! Wait!" Aisling called from behind. He looked over his shoulder expectantly. "Why are you heading to Ordon? The people in the village will freak out if they see you."

Link hadn't considered that.  
It was then he noticed the long shadows being cast on the ground, and the darkening sky. He jerked his head towards the setting sun as if to say ' _We'll go at nightfall._ ' Aisling graced him with a small smile and a quick nod in reply. He almost smiled as he made his way back into the Ordon Spring. It felt nice to be understood.

And so they waited.

By the time night had taken hold over the land Aisling was sound asleep. She and Midna had bickered for the _longest_ time, and the result was Aisling stomping over to the other side of the clearing and eventually falling asleep against the rocky wall. Currently, she was lying on the ground in a foetal position, with drool hanging out of her mouth. He wished there was some way to capture he moment, then he could use it to annoy her at a later date.  
With a great roll of his neck Link yawned, his long pink tongue poking out of the side of his mouth. While stretching his almost asleep limbs he came to a decision; he'd go to Ordon without Aisling. He had a feeling that waking her up would be detrimental to his health.  
The shield meant for the royal family ought to be lying around, and the sword Rusl made for him would be in the village. It wouldn't take too long.

The world was different as a wolf. His heightened senses almost overloaded his brain with sensory data. His sensitive ears picked up the rustling of the grass as rodents scurried along. The land shrouded in darkness appeared to be lit by a dim candlelight, and that was without the aid of the moon. His nose was overwhelmed by the numerous scents he had yet to identify. It was terrifyingly beautiful. He couldn't help but be in awe of his province.

He made his way out of the spring, the padding under his paws absorbing any noise. Stealth wouldn't be too difficult in this form if he kept to the shadows.  
The imp hidden in his shadow yawned. "When are you going to find my sword and shield, Wolfie?" Midna muttered sleepily. "At this rate , twilight will have swallowed the kingdom by the time you get me what I want. If you want to save your friends you have to what I say. So, hurry up! Eee He-" An even larger yawn put an abrupt stop to her cackling. Link rolled his eyes. Even when waking up, Midna had to find _some_ way to boss him around and make fun of his current situation.

His almost casual walk to the village was interrupted by a shrill war cry and pair of gleaming red eyes; a Bulbin. Link's hackles rose of their own accord and he snarled at his new foe. The green-skinned bandits had been causing majors problems for Hyrule over the past few years. Only the foolhardy or the strong travelled Hyrule without some kind of escort for fear of being attacked. No-one knew where they came from, or what their goal was, other than their obvious desire to plunder and murder. But what Link was furious about was that _these_ were the bastards that took Ilia and Colin.

The Bulbin raised it's stone club, and with a fierce cry, charged at Link.

* * *

The battle was over as soon as it begun. The Bulbin was no match for Link's razor sharp canines and heightened reflexes. The bandit now lay dead on the ground, a river of blood pouring from a single deep gash in its neck. Link felt a sense of grim satisfaction at the sight. There was an increasingly familiar twist in his gut; he was worried for the people of Ordon, the bandits were far too close to the village for his liking.

He sprinted towards the village, his powerful legs allowing him to reach speeds that would have been otherwise impossible if he was in human form. The small part of him that wasn't overcome by anger and worry found it exhilarating.

With a furious snarl he leapt at the two Bulbins lurking outside his house. It was over so fast they didn't even get to cry out. He started moving towards the winding path that would take him to Ordon when a voice called out "Wait!"  
Link spun around, trying to locate the origin of the voice.

"Thank you for taking care of those bad guys! They made both the forest and the village a mess..." Link's eyes settled on a brown squirrel with black stripes. The furry creature was in front of his house's door. "They kidnapped the village children... But I know you're not one of them. I can tell because you smell like the trees of Ordon! If you run into any trouble, try talking to other animals. We all understand each other, so you'll be alright!" he said, and fled into the surrounding trees in a flash of brown.

Link blinked. That squirrel just... _spoke_ to him?! He could _understand_ to animals?! _Animals could talk to each other?!_

* * *

Midna watched the entire encounter worriedly. Not that she as worried about the wolf-boy's well being, of course, she was worried about his intelligence. Wolfie was staring at a _squirrel_ of all things."Don't tell me you want to _eat_ that squirrel?" she asked. He didn't even glance at her. "Humans _never_ fail to disappoint me," she muttered. The imp proceeded to call Links name for an entire minute, but he still stared at the same spot, even after the squirrel had left. His eyes were wide and unfocused. Midna gritted her teeth. The boy-turned-wolf was lucky she needed him , or she would've blasted him with her shadow magic to oblivion.

She went with the next best option and poked him in the eye. Thankfully, _that_ got a response. A brilliant one at that, because Wolfie shrieked like a little girl and his eye teared up.  
"Next time, _listen_ to me," she cackled, as he pawed pitifully at his injured eye.

* * *

His eye was watering and there was nothing he could do but bear with it. Midna _poked_ him in the _eye,_ of all places. She didn't even apologise. At least ended his shocked trance. The revelation that he could understand animals left him a little speechless. He wondered if he could possibly talk back. If he met Epona he could even talk to her! Though truthfully he was hoping he wouldn't be in this form for much longer.

The contrast in sight between his good and hurt eye was disorientating. It was pretty blurry. His eyes turned towards where he usually kept Epona, only to be disappointed to see she wasn't there. Worry clawed at his gut; what if those Bulbins had hurt her? _Killed_ her, even? He shook his head. There was no use fretting over what-if's. The squirrel said that the Bulbins had raided the village and kidnapped the children. He hoped everyone else was okay. There was one major unanswered question in his head: Why did the Bulbins take all the children and Ilia, but leave him and Aisling? It was a question for another time, however. Rubbing his sore eye and sending a short glare at Midna, he began travelling down the narrow, winding road that led to Ordon village.

* * *

 _"You think you can stop me, **Zhang**?" the grey skin man snarled, stepping over the still warm corpses over her comrades. Behind him, Hyrule castle lay in ruins, plumes of smoke drifting up into the raging sky. His amber eyes glittered with malice as he approached. Aisling kept stepping backwards, her eyes always on those of the terrifying man. He was approaching quickly. Her foot slipped on a rock, and she hit the ground with an 'umph'. She scrambled to get to her feet, but a heavy black boot kicked her to the ground. She gasped in pain. A rib or two must've cracked under the blow. Grey eyes met amber ones. One, wide with terror; the other, lit up with glee. She struggled to get up, but the weight of his boot proved too heavy.  
His arms reached for his back, where there was a metallic screech as he unsheathed his blade. The blade was as dark as night, and was as long as Aisling was tall. It emitted a shadowy aura- one that promised death and destruction. Gripping it in his two armoured hands, he pointed the tip at her throat. _

_"I will not be stopped this time, **Zhang** ," he smirked, pride tainting his tone. "You are weak- barely even fit to kiss my boot , never mind bare the title Balancer. Remember the name Gannondorf, for I will be the one to end you life. What you see now, what is happening now, is the inevitable future."_

 _Time slowed to to each individual beat of her heart as the red haired man laughed and thrust his sword downwards._

"Noooooooooo!" Aisling screamed. She sat up with a jolt, her heart pounding heavily in her ears. Her breath came out in short puffs, her body slick with sweat. "It was just a nightmare," she mumbled. "It was just a nightmare."

It was then she realised she was alone. Alarmed, she stood up and frantically searched the clearing. There was no signs of the wolf. The image of his gutted corpse replayed again and again in her mind. Panic immediately overtook her. Her breathing turned erratic, and her blood pounded in her ears. Closing her eyes, she sat down on the sand and tried to clear her mind. After a minute of attempting to calm her breathing, she was okay enough to resume her search. She remembered having another episode like this when she was in the cell with Link. It looked like she was prone to panic attacks. Fantastic.

Getting up to her feet, she walked over to the clear water of the springs, dipping her hands in, her intention being to wash her clammy body. The second her fingers hit the water _The Song_ began singing in it's full glory. With a gasp she stumbled back from the pool, her heart beating madly in her chest.  
She didn't understand what was going on. Her memories were apparently stolen by Gannondorf, the same man who appeared in her nightmare. The Goddesses told her that she possessed the triforce of Balance. Midna _and_ Gannondorf had called her the 'Balancer'. And the songs... One was dark, and the other light. One was from Midna's helmet, the other from this spring, but why could only she hear them!?  
Scrubbing her face with her hands, she stood up and made her way out of the clearing.

On the path to Ordon, she was met with a grisly discovery. A green skinned creature, with clothes that she likened to bandit attire, lay dead on the ground with its throat torn out. There was a lot of blood. She racked her brains for answers, but came up with no name for the creature. She'd have to ask Link. After she killed him for leaving her on her own, of course. She could only hoped he was the one who did this, and not that there was a predator prowling these woods.

Two more dead bandits were outside Link's treehouse. Going up closer to examine them, she found their throats had been shredded in the same manner.  
The pounding of feet on earth caught her attention.  
Spinning around, she saw Link bounding towards her, a sword and shield somehow balancing on his back, and his long pink tongue hanging from his mouth. He spared her a quick glance, his azure eyes wild, and sprinted off towards the springs. She cocked an eyebrow at his strange actions, and began to walk after him .

Then she heard the nearby roars of "Get back here, you beast." "Give us back our children." Aisling's eyes widened in horror when she realised what was going on. With a yelp she picked up the pace, going as fast as her legs would let her. Link had left her in the dust long ago; she had no hope of catching up with him. She kept running, regardless. The cries of the people of Ordon were not far behind; when she stole a quick glance back she could see the faint golden glow of their lanterns.

Two minutes later she was outside the Ordon Spring. She deemed it too risky to try and hide there, however, and started towards the bridge until a faint whisper of "...Wait..." stopped her. Backtracking until she was at the entrance of the Springs once more, she waited for the voice to speak again. The voice was no more than a hoarse whisper; it's speaker sounded weak.

"Come... to my spring..." The voice said. Aisling cautiously entered the spring, eyes scanning the area for any hostiles. The only person her eyes detected was Link. The wolf was staring at the water expectantly, as if waiting for the spring to talk back.  
She tensed as the heavy footfalls of the villagers came closer, almost thundering in her ears as she waited to see if they would check the spring. Her heart almost stopped as the footsteps halted outside the spring. Frantic hushed voices reached her ears, but to her relief, the villagers headed to go back to Ordon.

"You have... been transformed... by the power... of shadow..." said the voice. Aisling searched for the source. How did this voice know of their plight. Could they turn both her and Link to their original forms?  
"Come.. to me..." The voice was coming for the water...?  
Link listened to the voice and stepped into the shallow water. Out of nowhere, black pillars appeared, surrounding Link. The pillars glowed the same pink Aisling now associated with shadow beasts, and barriers sprung out connecting the pillars together, effectively trapping Link.  
"Beware... a shadow being... It approaches..."  
Alarmed at the voice's warning, Aisling sprinted towards the barrier, slamming it with her fist, but was thrown back with a cry as fuchsia lightning arced from the barrier to her offending fist. She screamed.

Through blurry eyes she watched as a red portal opened in the sky; it's shape similar the runic squares on her right calf, but with a swirling spiral center. A dark shape dropped out of it, landing on the ground beside Link. Link snarled viciously at the shape, and the shape, which Aisling had made out to be a shadow beast through her now clearing vision, howled back. It made the first move, swiping one of it's powerful arms at Link, who nimbly dodged it. His counter-attack brought a swift end to the fight as he latched on to the creatures throat, and didn't let go until it collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Both the beast and pillars burst into blue and black fragments, dispersing into nothingness and reappearing above the spring in the form of a blue portal.

An awed gasp escaped Aisling's mouth as the rune engraved boulders in circling the spring began to light up, casting a white ethereal glow on the surrounding area. The clear pool suddenly lit up, a blinding white light that had Aisling shielding her eye. At least her bad one still had the cloth around it. Golden ripples started to form in the center of the pool, and a white gold sphere slowly rose, it being the cause of the glowing water. The sphere was slightly translucent, and had rings of golden light circling it. The orb grew brighter as it rose, and when it stopped the light expanded and a form began to come into view. Shimmering into existence was a white-gold creature similar to that of an Ordon ox. A single circular horn encompassed the glowing orb, and it's skin was covered in runes identical to those on the surrounding boulders.

"O brave youth... I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the spirits. I am Ordona," said Ordona. It's voice was deep and slow; the soothing sound set Aisling's frayed nerves at ease.  
"The black beast you slayed was a shadow being. It had come to seize the power of light I wield. My brethren in Hyrule have already had their light stolen by these fell beasts. The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the cursed powers of blight will not top with Hyrule. Before long, the both worlds of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules twilight. To save this land from the king of twilight, the lost light must be recovered. The three light spirits who have lost their light must be revived. There is but one who can revive them and redeem this land... You." Aisling tuned out after that, nothing that Ordona said applied to her, so she didn't really care. She didn't realise she was kicking at the sand, flinging it everywhere, and boring a hole in the forehead of the spirit with her stormy eyes.

"Balancer, step forth into my waters."

"Huh?" Aisling eyed the spirit worriedly, but stepped into the springs clear water. As expected, The Song started once more.

"Light and Dark coexist in disharmony. It is the way of the universe. One cannot exist without the other, as much as peace cannot happen without war. As your ancestor before you, you must wield the power of both Dark and Light, and bring an end to the chaos that has engulfed both worlds. So is the duty of the Balancer..."

Aisling's brows furrowed. All she heard about was this 'duty' of hers, but no true explanation. "Spirit," she interrupted. "How do I wield the power of Dark and Light?"  
As if sensing her impatience, the spirit quickly moved on to the topic she had been waiting to hear. "The power is within you. Heroine, chosen by the spirits, there are eight sources of power in this land, four light and four dark. My brethren and I hold the power of this light. Some of the darkness you seek, has already met your touch."  
Aisling's eyes widened in realisation. Midna's helmet was one of the sources of darkness!  
"Three others have been sealed away by the other light spirits. The temptation was too great to those who seek power."  
Amber eyes flashed maliciously in Aisling's mind. She flinched. Even now, the aftershock of her nightmare hadn't worn off.  
"To restore the land to which it one was, you must master Light and Dark. You have some control over your dark powers, and now you must learn those of light to maintain balance."

The spirit began to hum in tune with The Song. Aisling was startled at first, she didn't know that the spirit could hear The Song too. Ordona's light sphere and the runic boulders began to grow brighter and brighter, the spirit's singing louder and louder, until the whole spring was filled with a blinding white light. Aisling could no longer see what was happening as she had shut her eyes long ago, even under her lids was completely white. She stood in anticipation, ready for whatever sort of shock she'd receive from the light.

Her skin began to heat up, but not unpleasantly so. Her body felt as though something was filling it, something light, the sensation was indescribable. She felt... at peace. She could easily say it was nicer than touching the Imp's Fused Shadow. The new sensation came to an abrupt stop, Aisling hesitantly opened her eyes. The spring had returned to normal, the spirit no longer there.

"Aren't you going to teach me how to wield my new powers?!" Aisling called out.

There was no answer. "Well, that's helpful," Aisling muttered, turning to face her companions. "Come on guys, lets-" Link was staring unabashedly at her form, his deep blue eyes wide. "What?!" she snapped. "You should probably check your reflection. Eee hee hee!" came Midna from the shadows.

 _Check my reflection?_ Aisling focused her eyes on the water lapping at her feet.

"What the heck?!" Her skin was shinning. Actually shinning. It was back to it's regular tone, but a faint silvery glow emanated from it. Her clothes had changed too. Ilia's pants and tunic had been replaced with a black and white robe, an almost silky material. Barely covering one shoulder, it flowed to just underneath her knees and was belted at her waist. To Aisling, it resembled a toga. The red canvas shoes were no more. Supplied for each foot was a brown strappy sandal. In all, Aisling thought she looked ridiculous. "You must save both worlds Aisling, as it is your destiny," she said in a deep voice, trying to imitate Ordona. "It is the duty of the Balancer to vanquish evil... while wearing a toga!" Both Midna and Link laughed; or at least Midna did. Link could only do his strangled wolf snort.

A genuine smile tugged at her lips. Maybe these two wouldn't be so bad to travel with after all.

* * *

 **And chapter 5 is done! I hope ye enjoyed! Maybe Aisling is like a pokemon. I wonder what her final form is like...**

 **Thank you for following and favouriting!**

 **The sundancekid 1990, AMaeJay, Yumi and the Guest... thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Guest: I rewrote Aisling's transformation in ch4. I hope it makes more sense now! :)**


	6. Notice

Hey guys, it's WiseGirl9859 here. I just need to update ye on the status of Balance.

Balance is going to be absent for a while. I'm not sure how long, but it will be around 2-3 months, I think. Perhaps more.

"Why?!" ye may ask; It's not a hiatus. I'm not going on a break. What I am doing, however, is a bit of a rewrite. I'm not 100% happy with where the story is going, and being the annoying perfectionist I am, I'm reviewing the plot and will be making some changes. I want to deliver the best story possible for ye guys, and the gears are currently turning in my head, and I'm thinking up something big. Something that I think will be worth the wait in the end.

I thank you all so very very much for your support with this fic; you are what kept me going, I would've lot inspiration long ago, otherwise. I hope you will continue to review when the story restarts, your words mean a lot.

-WG

PS.I will be reviewing all of my current chapters and making some changes. So when I restart Balance, I recommend you start from chapter 1, because I will have changed some aspects of the fic. Once again, thank you.

School is starting up again. Yay. -_-

PPS. A massive thank you to Yumi and Mimzy94 for your reviews on Chp5. I'm glad I managed to write something funny XD


End file.
